PAELLA

Origins of Paella

Paella is a rice dish of Arabic provenience and humble beginnings indeed. It originated in the province of Valencia, in eastern Spain, that is one of the largest ports by the Mediterranean sea and is a rice producer in Spain since it was introduced by the Arabs or Moors conquerors over 1200 years ago. The word for ‘rice’ in Spanish is ‘Arroz’ which is derived from the Arabic ‘Arruzz’.  The word ‘Paella’ appears to originate from the Arab word “baqiyah” or “ba^el-la” meaning left-overs. Legend has it that the servants of Moorish kings gathered left-over foods in containers, all mixed-up, from royal banquets to take home, hence ba^el-la; and overtime the word turned into ‘Paella’ for lack of good pronunciation by the Spanish. As for the pan itself, the original name is ‘Patella’, but coincidentally it devolved into ‘Paella’ over the centuries and pan & food ended up with the same name ‘Paella’. In the U.S. we put it together and call it “Paella Pan” because we like things to make sense. The word ‘Patella’ of Latin origin (1600s) ‘pan’, ‘knee-cap’ is a diminutive of ‘Patina’ or ‘pan’ meaning dish, so called for its round shape.

Over the centuries, Paella became the meal of peasants, cooked over an open wood fire in the rice fields and eaten directly from the pan with their own wooden spoons. While the size of the pan grew over time, the depth of it did not, and this was because the Paella was cooked over fire made of twigs and small branches which rendered quick fire as opposed to the slow fire made from burning logs; and the idea behind it, turns out, is that the rice cooks evenly in close proximity to the source of heat. Since it was a replica of the original left-overs that the servants gathered to take home, the peasants made the meal of rice, which was abundant, and whatever ingredient was readily available, usually tomatoes, onions, leeks and snails, with some green beans and garbanzos -chickpeas- for texture. Duck or rabbit were also added if available; and for special occasions chicken and a touch of saffron for color and added flavor.

Nowadays, there are as many variations of Paellas as there are cooks. As the region of Valencia is located by the coastal waters, over the generations, seafood ostensibly crept into the recipes. Paella is today the collective name of some unknown number of distinctive rice dishes from that region and other parts of Spain, and the world. The Paella Valenciana to this day contains no seafood, but a choice of chicken, duck or rabbit, snails, green beans and garbanzos.

Paella is the most sociable of all culinary occasions. In Spain, Paella is still unique. Not only do families congregate to eat Paella in restaurants, but it is often cooked on weekends in ‘bodegas’ or ‘txokos’ which are large dining areas where families gather in the Basque country; or at beach or mountain picnic sites. Very often, gigantic Paellas are centerpieces for many parties.

TAPA

Origin of Tapa

“Tapa” refers to appetizers eaten prior to the main course and accompanied with a glass of wine or a beverage of choice.

Tapa is a Spanish word that means “cover” or “lid”. The story goes that King Alfonso X, byname “Alfonso the Wise” (The Learned), in Spanish “Alfonso El Sabio,” King of Castilla and Leon from 1252 to 1284. While on a long trip, the King stopped to rest at a hostel in the town of Ventorillo del Chato in the Southern province of Cádiz, and ordered a glass of Jerez (Sherry) to sit and relax after the long journey, before supper.

There was a gusty wind and lots of sand dust flying all over the place; so the Inn-keeper served him his glass of Jerez covered with a slice of ham to prevent the sand from getting into the drink. King Alfonso X ate the ham and chased it with his Jerez, and liked it. He then asked for a second glass of Jerez and requested that it comes with a “tapa” or lid.