HISTORY OF THE PAELLA

Rice was known to the Asiatic people for millennia, but was brought to the Valencia region of Spain by the Muslim armies during their invasion of Spain in the VIII century. Prior to that, the Romans, who also conquered Spain, brought with them a flat dish to cook with, called patella. This word evolved into paila and finally paella (pronounced pah-ay-liah). Technically the food prepared should be called rice a la paella, but only purist will make an issue with the term.

Since Ispania (original word for Spain) was a Phoenician word meaning land of rabbits, it is no surprise that the original an authentic Paella Valenciana had rabbit as one of its ingredients. It also has snails and lima beans, but I doubt that this dish would sell very well in the US, even in Spain for that matter. So most people, including myself, use the ingredients we like best. Many people in Spain use the ones at hand in the refrigerator, from the night before. In a sense, paella is like pizza in which you use the ingredients of your choice. Everybody uses the word Valenciana because the dish originated there and has world wide recognition. Let's face it. Marketing has its effect on words. In reality, the Paella Valenciana I offer is called Paella Mixta, since it has chicken, chorizo and seafood