Paella the World’s one of the most favorite meals is a gift from Spanish people to food culture. It is known that Arabs and Romans have an impact on the origination of this Spanish food. It is known as the favorite meal of Spanish cuisine. Paella, which is heard a lot lately, has a long-standing background.  And this background is from the 15th century. The main material of Paella, the Spanish food, is rice. Meat, vegetables, or seafood can be added as an extra. This food, the symbol of Valencia, was the servant’s food once. But, it still stands the test of time in today’s world. There are many stories about the origin of Paella.

 
The Origin of the Paella

There are many ideas about where Paella’s name came from. One of them is related to the Arabic language. It is thought that it derives from the “baqiyah” word which means remainder in Arabic. The name that gives the meal its name is a pan according to the most accepted idea right now.  “Paella” means pan in Latin. It is believed that Paella’s name is after its pan. The leftover rice from the king of Morocco’s dishes was not wasted. Remnant rice was put together and given to the servants. The first story takes place between the 15th and 16th centuries in Valencia. According to the story, Paella emerged in the city’s rural area.  Paella shows up when farmers who lived there need a short order.  Farmers started to cook rabbit and poultry meat with rice, vegetable, water, and olive oil. Rice was an important nutrition for the Valencia people. The other known story is from the 18th century. According to that story, Paella emerged in Spain in the 18th century. Villagers made food rice fine for their own taste. A blacksmith from Alaquas made Paella involved in the industrial sector in 1920. Franco chose Paella as the country’s representative food after the Spanish Civil War. It is not known when the sea foods were added to the Paella. Paella was enriched with other eatables just like the other foods. 

Paella Pan and Its Ingredients

The pan called Paellera is used for making Paella. The Paella pan has a round and bottom-straight shape. The pan has excellent resistance to high temperature and has hammered dimples in the middle of the pan. Water is accumulated in these dimples. So, the food cooks faster. In addition to that, the structure of the pan is a kind of nonstick. Rice which is Paella’s main ingredient not sticking to the pan, is highly important. Bomba and Risotto are the most consumed kind of rice in Spain. Bomba rice is used to cook Paella. This rice kind is different from Risotto because of its easy chippable and creamy structure. Paella ingredients vary with region and time. Thus, meat and vegetables can be changed in Paella. Chicken, rabbit, and smoked sausage are the most popular meats used in Paella. On the other hand, sea oods are also used frequently in Paella. The most preferred sea foods are prawns, mussels, lobster, crab, and oysters. Garlic and onion are the main ingredients added to the Paella in many regions. You can also see other vegetables such as artichokes and green beans in Paella.

Shining out with seafood, Paella is one of the “joya” of Spanish cuisine. With a wonderful presentation, Paella reveals two different combinations of cultures in Spain. These are Romans inventing pan and Arabs cultivating rice. Although Paella is known as a Spanish food, many cultures have an impact on its history. Paella has become a classic for decades still today. Paella which preserves its importance still today has a great history.