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Paella: Typical dish from Comunidad Valenciana

Do you know the paella?
The cuisine in Valencia is typically Mediterranean, and thanks to this, it offers a variety of dishes. From fish to shellfish and mollusks, through Arabic sweets, vegetables and the star ingredient, rice, with designation of origin.
Many dishes from the Valencian cuisine such as, arroz al horno, arroz a banda among many others have rice as the main ingredient, but certainly the most famous and well- known dish worldwide is the Paella.
Many non-Spanish people see paella as the Spain’s national dish par excellence, however most Spanish people consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in fact, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols because this typical dish is very deep-rooted to Valencian culture.

The origin of the paella
The first documented paella appears in a manuscript of recipes from 18th century where specific aspects of its preparation are shown, for instance, how dry it should be.
The popularity of the dish was very high in the Spanish territory and since the late 18th century the recipe became very popular in Belgium where it was called Riz to Valenciennes.
In the twentieth century, the tourist boom in Spain in the 60s made tourists from other countries arrive to enjoy the sun on their vacation, try the dish and generate a demand which extended throughout the country, including by non-coastal areas such as Madrid. Therefore little by little, the culinary recipe was expanded throughout the world.

Recipe
A colorful mixture of saffron-flavored rice and various meats, paella’s name comes from the paellera, the flat, round pan in which it is cooked. Traditionally, the paella is cooked out of doors, over a wood fire. To make a paella follow the next 10 steps:
1. Heat oil in a paella.
2. Sauté meat after seasoning with salt.
3. Add green vegetables and sauté until soft.
4. Add garlic (optional), grated tomatoes, beans and sauté.
5. Add paprika and sauté.
6. Add water, saffron (and/or food coloring), snails (optional) and rosemary.
7. Boil to make broth and allow it to reduce by half.
8. Remove the rosemary once flavor has infused or it starts to fall apart.
9. Add rice and simmer until rice is cooked.
10. Garnish with more fresh rosemary.