The paella,

Paella is the best known Spanish dish known abroad, It is made with different ingredients in each region. 

In many restaurants,   Thursday is the day of the paella, a tradition started several centuries ago because Thursday was the day off for domestic workers and maids or servants. They, used to cook the sauce paella night before and left everything ready for ladies of the house only had to add the rice to eat 20 minutes later to reduce work 

There are many recipes for paella but the best known are:

The Valencian paella, mixed paella, paella with vegetables, and seafood paella:

• The Valencian paella is the oldest and most original recipe it is made with meat and fresh seasonal vegetables typical of the area. Interestingly seafood was not used because originally it was a meal of the poor farmers who worked the fields offshore.

• The mixed paella is the dish that is made with meat and seafood. It is very tasty and has a rich abundance of flavors. It is known as paella for tourists or Guiri paella.!

• The vegetable paella is dish that leaves out the meat and combines all kinds of vegetables. It is a vegetarian delight that combines Paprika, artichokes, beans and white beans. This variant has an advantage over the other: it is easier to prepare because they do not need to spend much time making the paella sauce.

• The seafood paella is the most popular variant, it has no meat, and contains prawns, mussels, squid and clams. You start by preparing a delicious fish soup with pieces of grouper fish and hake which brings a unique and Mediterranean flavor. At this paella is known as Catalan or Barcelona Paella.

The paella now often is cooked on weekends and becomes an occasion to meet family and friends. Tradition says to cook in a large round pan, called paella pan, standing in the middle of the table and the portions are distributed from there or, as in Valencia, diners are eating all from the pan itself.

In the next issue we will give you the recipes of each type.