Where does paella come from?
Quick answer
Paella comes from Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. It began as a farmworkers’ meal cooked over an open fire in the rice fields around the Albufera lagoon. The original paella valenciana uses rice, chicken, rabbit, green beans, butter beans and saffron, not seafood.
Rice has been grown around Valencia since the Moors brought it to Spain more than a thousand years ago. Paella as we know it took shape in the 1800s.
Where the name comes from
“Paella” is the Valencian word for the pan, from the Latin patella, a shallow dish. The wide, flat, two-handled pan gives the dish its name, and it’s designed to spread the rice in a thin layer so it cooks evenly.
Types of paella
| Type | Main ingredients |
|---|---|
| Paella valenciana | Chicken, rabbit, green beans, garrofó (butter beans), saffron, sometimes snails |
| Paella de marisco | Seafood: shrimp, mussels, clams, squid |
| Paella mixta | Meat and seafood together (popular with tourists, less traditional) |
| Arroz negro | Rice cooked black with squid ink |
What makes a good paella
- Short-grain rice such as bomba or senia, which absorbs liquid without getting mushy
- Saffron for color and aroma; see what spice comes from flower stigmas
- No stirring once the rice is added
- Socarrat: the prized, slightly crispy layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan
Paella etiquette
In Valencia, paella is traditionally a lunchtime dish, often shared on Sundays with family, sometimes eaten straight from the pan. Locals joke about “crimes against paella,” such as adding chorizo.
For another classic rice dish, see what rice is used for risotto.
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