On National Spanish Paella Day, 10 facts about paella.
The word Paella comes from the pan used to cook it in. It’s the Valencian word for a wide, shallow pan used to cook things over an open fire. Although some have claimed it derives from an Arabic word for leftovers.
Muslims in Al-Andalus began Rice cultivation around the 10th century, and the locals quickly caught on to the idea of making rice dishes to eat at family celebrations.
In Valencia, paella was a dish farm labourers would have for lunch. It was made from things they could easily find out in the fields.
The traditional ingredients are Valencian rice, olive oil, rabbit or hare, chicken, Saffron (which gives it the Yellow colour), Tomato, flat green beans, Lima Beans, Salt and water. Sprigs of Rosemary were often added for seasoning as well. People in coastal regions would use seafood instead of meat.
Paella isn’t eaten as an evening meal in Spain, but is strictly a lunchtime feast.
It’s not done to stir the paella in Spain, either. Rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan and even burns a little is a desirable feature for the people of Valencia. They even have a word for it, “socarrat”.
They’d see it as sacrilege to add chorizo, as many celebrity chefs will do. If chorizo is added, they’ll say, the dish is no longer paella, but merely arroz con cosas ('rice with things').
Talking of rice, it matters what variety of rice you use. It should be bomba, senia or bahía, and never long-grain or aromatic, because these don’t absorb the flavours so well.
According to Guinness World Records, the largest paella ever measured 20m 65ft 7in in diameter and was made by Juan Carlos Galbis and helpers in Valencia, Spain on 8 Mar 1992. It was eaten by 100,000 people. That said, Galbis claims that he and his team made an even bigger one in 2001, which was enjoyed by about 110,000 people.
Valencia City Council has declared paella a BIC or Bien de Interés Cultural (Intangible Cultural Asset). This is an important step towards making it into a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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