Today, March 27th, we celebrate National Spanish Paella Day. It is a rice dish from Spain with the key ingredients of saffron and olive oil. Saffron is an essential spice that also turns the rice a beautiful golden color. It is also known to be the most expensive spice in the world. This is because of its growing process. It takes 75,000 saffron flowers to make just one pound of spice.
Paella has become very popular and is known around the world. It originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century in Valencia which is located on the east coast of Spain. There are many versions of paella. The most popular added ingredient in recent years is different kinds of seafood like shrimp, mussels, and squid. Back then, workers in the fields would make paella in a flat pan over a fire. They mixed in whatever they could find – such as rabbits, snails, and vegetables. On special occasions, they would use chicken.
Paella is a pretty versatile dish. How do you prefer to enjoy your paella? With seafood? A vegetarian option, perhaps?
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