2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Paella is a world-famous dish that originates from the region of Valencia in eastern Spain. It is now widely consumed in all the provinces of Spain, as well as in every continent of the world. Like many other popular recipes, the Valencian paella it was originally a country dish.
It originated in its current form in the 19th century and was prepared with any ingredients that were available. Today, there are as many versions as there are chefs - from vegetarian to seafood and mixed paella. Regardless of the type you prepare, the indisputable fact is that rice is the key to a magnificent paella. After all, paella is essentially a rice dish.
Origin of the paella
There is an old story about how the servants of the Moorish kings created rice dishes by mixing the remains of the royal banquets in large vessels to take home. Some say that the word "paella" comes from the Arabic word "baqiyah", i.e. residues. However, linguists believe the word paella comes from the name of the tray in which it is made - the Latin name patella, a flat tray on which suggestions were made to the gods.
The stories of the servants who create dishes from the remains of the king are romantic, but we know for sure that it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the modern paella was created in the area around Albufera (a freshwater lagoon near Valencia). During their lunch, the field workers prepared the rice dish in a flat pan over a fire. They mixed what they could find - like snails and vegetables. For special occasions, a rabbit and later a chicken were added.
History of rice in Spain
Rice is probably the oldest crop in the world, with data on its cultivation from 2500 BC in China. Rice cultivation has gradually spread over the centuries in India, then in Greece and around the Mediterranean and North Africa. When the Moors arrived in Spain in the 8th century, they brought with them a variety of new foods, including rice. The Spanish word for rice is arroz, which comes from the Arabic word ar-ruzz.
They also brought technological advances, such as irrigation systems that helped their kingdoms become productive agricultural areas. Over the centuries, Valencia's cuisine and culture have developed around rice. Valencia rice is so highly valued that two designations of origin (DO) for rice grown in these areas have recently been ratified. The Denominación de Origen Calasparra was ratified in 1986 and the Denominación de Origen Arroz de Valencia in 2001.
Types of rice from Spain
The scientific name for rice is Oryza sativa. There are three main types of rice grains: short grains (Japonica), long grains (Indica) and medium grains (hybrid). Long grain and brown rice represent a very small percentage of the rice grown in Spain. The traditional varieties grown and consumed in Spain are short grains, almost round varieties, which are very suitable for classic Spanish rice dishes, such as paella. The traditional rice varieties from Spain are:
Bomb: Bomb, also called Valencian rice, is a short, almost round pearl-colored rice. It absorbs three times its volume in water, unlike the average grain of rice, which absorbs only twice its volume. This means that it absorbs more flavor and does not stick. For these reasons, rice bomb is highly valued by chefs.
Another difference is in the way it expands during the cooking process. Instead of opening along with the length of the grain, it breaks transversely as it cooks, expanding like an accordion until it reaches three times the length of the raw grain.
Senia and Bahia: Snia and Bahia are bomb-like varieties of short-grained rice that also absorb more than the average amount of liquid and retain a creamy texture after cooking. They are the two most widely grown rice varieties price Spain |.
Calaspara: Calaspara rice is short grain and is grown in the area around the city of Calaspara, Murcia. Other varieties of rice are also grown in this area. If you do not live in Spain, buying these varieties can be difficult. So use medium or short rice.
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