Paella Day

National Spanish Paella Day is on March 27th. Paella is a rice dish from Valencia, Spain. Traditional paella is cooked over an open fire in a wide, round, shallow pan with sloping sides, also called paella. Though there’s controversy about whether seafood should be allowed in this dish, there are a few things everyone agrees on. First, it’s all about the rice. Short-grain, sturdy rice is a must. Also, this dish is not stirred, instead the rice settles on the bottom of the pan, browning and becoming crispy on. Good stock should be used and a sofrito, a mixture of sauteed onions, garlic, and tomatoes.

Paella was originally a lunchtime meal for farmers and laborers. It was made with rice and whatever else was around—tomatoes, onions, snails, water vole, eel, and beans. On special occasions, meat such as rabbit or duck would be added. And on extra special occasions, saffron was added. This dish was traditionally eaten straight from the pan with each person using their own spoon.

As living standards rose in the late 19th century, paella’s ingredients changed as well, rabbit, chicken, and duck became the common additions. By 1840, this dish became so popular that a Spanish newspaper first used the word paella to refer to the recipe rather than the pan.

Zum Nationalen Spanischen Paella Tag Vorlage

In 2015, an emoji for paella was proposed to Unicode, and it was approved in 2016. Although its generally rendered as paella, it’s sometimes rendered as a Korean hot pot. 🥘

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pan and sear on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add sausage and saute 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add more oil if necessary. Add and saute onion until softened. Add garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes or until tomatoes release juices. Pour in the stock. Stir in saffron and paprika. Stir in rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Add chicken, sausage, and peas to pan. Cover and simmer until most of of the liquid to absorbed, about 20 minutes. Top with roasted bell pepper and parsley.

In 2015, an emoji for paella was proposed to Unicode, and it was approved in 2016. Although its generally rendered as paella, it’s sometimes rendered as a Korean hot pot. 🥘

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pan and sear on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add sausage and saute 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add more oil if necessary. Add and saute onion until softened. Add garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes or until tomatoes release juices. Pour in the stock. Stir in saffron and paprika. Stir in rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Add chicken, sausage, and peas to pan. Cover and simmer until most of of the liquid to absorbed, about 20 minutes. Top with roasted bell pepper and parsley.

In 2015, an emoji for paella was proposed to Unicode, and it was approved in 2016. Although its generally rendered as paella, it’s sometimes rendered as a Korean hot pot. 🥘

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pan and sear on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add sausage and saute 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add more oil if necessary. Add and saute onion until softened. Add garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes or until tomatoes release juices. Pour in the stock. Stir in saffron and paprika. Stir in rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Add chicken, sausage, and peas to pan. Cover and simmer until most of of the liquid to absorbed, about 20 minutes. Top with roasted bell pepper and parsley.