Moorish influence in a typical Spanish dish

Paella is a rice dish that originated in the Valencia region, on the White Coast of Spain. It is usually representative of Spain for foreigners, but more as a regional dish for most Spaniards.
Many different variations of the Paella Valenciana have emerged with time, from vegetarian (paella de verduras), mixed (paella mixta) to seafood (paella de mariscos).

The Paella Valenciana traditionally consists of white rice (introduced by Moors in the 10th century), green beans, meat (chicken and rabbit), white beans, sautéed in olive oil, and seasoning such as saffron and rosemary, and topped with additional ingredients like artichokes or seafood (shrimps, mussels, clams…) depending on your version – although purists won’t mix meat and seafood.
It is cooked over pine cones and other wood branches, in a very large iron pan, hence the name paella (from old French paella)

The best place to discover a real paella in Spain :

1/ Vigo Restaurant Tapas 

Adress: Carrer d’Aribau, 27, 08011 Barcelona, Spain

Opening hours: 12.30 am – 12 pm / Close on Sunday & Monday

Phone: +34 934 24 24 08

2/ La Riua

Adress: Carrer del Mar, 27, 46003 València, Spain

Opening hours: 2 pm – 4.15 pm / 9 pm – 11 pm

Phone: +34 963 91 45 71