Paella

Paella is a rice dish that originated in Spain’s Valencian Community, where it is considered a cultural symbol and one of the most famous examples of Spanish cuisine. Its name comes from the wide, shallow pan traditionally used to cook it over an open fire—*paella* means “frying pan” in both Catalan and Valencian. The word traces back through Old French to the Latin *patella*.

The dish has three main versions: *paella valenciana* (with rabbit, chicken, duck, and snails), *paella mixta* (including livestock), and *paella de marisco* (with seafood). Valencians maintain that only the *valenciana* recipe is the authentic one. While paella may have ancient roots, its modern form dates to the mid-19th century in the rural area around the Albufera de València lagoon near Valencia. Other local variations are cooked throughout the Mediterranean, the rest of Spain, and internationally. In Spain, restaurants traditionally offer paella on Thursdays.

**History**

Rice cultivation in Al-Andalus began around the 10th century, introduced by Arabs. Locals in the eastern Iberian Peninsula made casseroles of rice, fish, and spices for family gatherings and religious feasts, establishing rice as a staple by the 15th century. One likely theory holds that paella was invented by Albufera rice farmers in the 15th century, who cooked a one-pot meal in the paddies using available ingredients: rice, snails, aquatic birds, green beans, and water from the lagoon. Later, cooks combined rice with vegetables, beans, and dry cod for Lenten meals. Along Spain’s Mediterranean coast, rice was mostly eaten with fish. Food historian Lourdes March notes that the dish “symbolizes the union and heritage of two important cultures, the Roman, which gives us the utensil and the Arab which brought us the basic food of humanity for centuries: rice.”

**Naming, Etymology, and *Paellera***

*Paella* is a Valencian word for frying pan, and Valencian speakers use it for all pans, including the traditional shallow one with two side handles, made of polished or coated steel. In many Spanish-speaking regions, *paellera* may refer to the pan, while *paella* is reserved for the dish. Both terms are correct for the pan. Etymologist Joan Coromines traces the Catalan word *paella* to Old French *paelle* (frying pan), from Latin *patella* (pan), noting that otherwise the word would be *padella* because dropping the inter-vowel -d- is unusual in Old Catalan. The word is related to *paila* in Latin American Spanish, which refers to metal or clay cookware used for cooking and serving. The Latin root *patella* is also akin to French *poêle*, Italian *padella*, and Old Spanish *padilla*. Some claim the word comes from Arabic *baqiyya* or *ba'iyya* (meaning “leftovers”), based on an 8th-century custom where Moorish kings’ servants took home leftover rice, chicken, and vegetables. However, the word *paella* is not attested until six centuries after Moorish Valencia was conquered by James I.

**Versions and Variations**

*Paella valenciana* is the traditional recipe of the Valencia region, believed to be the original. It consists of Valencian rice, olive oil, rabbit, chicken, duck, snails, saffron (or a substitute like turmeric, paprika, *Calendula*, or artificial colorants), tomato, *ferradura* or flat green beans, lima beans, salt, and water. It is sometimes seasoned with whole rosemary branches. Artichoke hearts and stems may be used seasonally. Most cooks use *bomba* rice, though the *senia* cultivar is also used in Valencia. Originally, paella in Valencia was a lunchtime meal for farmers and laborers, who gathered available ingredients from around the rice fields—often tomatoes, onions, and snails, with rabbit or duck common, and chicken less so. On special occasions in the 18th century, Valencians used *calderos* to cook rice in the open air near lake Albufera. Water vole meat was an early main ingredient, along with eel and butter beans. Novelist Vicente Blasco Ibáñez described the custom of eating water voles in his 1902 novel *Cañas y barro*. As living standards rose in the late 19th century, gatherings and outings in the countryside led to changes in ingredients, favoring rabbit, chicken, duck, and sometimes snails. By 1840, a local Spanish newspaper first used *paella* to refer to the recipe rather than the pan, according to food historian Lynne Olver. The most complete ingredient list of that era included short-grain white rice, chicken, rabbit, snails (optional), duck (optional), navy beans, great northern beans, runner beans, and artichoke (as a substitute for runner beans).