The Guardian reports on how researchers in Valencia have decided what ten ingredients you can use in paella are.
The ten permitted ingredients are: rice, water, olive oil, salt, saffron, tomato, flat green beans, lima beans, chicken and rabbit.
Note that there is no fish or shellfish. Ever!
The research was carried out by social scientists at the Universidad Católica de Valencia at the instigation of local chef Rafael Vidal. The researchers questioned 400 amateur chefs aged over 50 from 266 Valencian villages.
Now I like making paella inspired rice dishes that include chorizo and seafood, even though this sometimes upsets Spaniards.
The article talks about how the valencianos believe that only they know how to make paella.
To people in Valencia, their version of paella is the version and nothing else is worthy of the name.
As for other kinds of paella they think this isn’t paella.
The typical seafood paella encountered elsewhere in Spain is generally dismissed by valencianos as arroz con cosas (rice with things).
So I cook rice with things….
