Curiosities when cooking Paella Valenciana

The Paella is, above all, a social act in which family or friends meet, usually on Sundays, around a fire. Thus, if a suitable place is available, outdoors, with space for firewood and fireplace (paellero), this social act takes on a celebration character.

If it is cooked in “paellero”, in addition to the paella, we will need a  trébede  (tripod to support the paella), which we will place carefully balanced by its three legs to avoid tilting the paella to one side as pouring water would be a problem.

Any type of wood would be valid, but there is a widespread belief among Valencians that the orange tree firewood is the most suitable because it gives a slight aroma to the dish that results in a more authentic touch.

The critical moment in the preparation of the Paella is undoubtedly the end of the cooking of the broth. That is when we are going to get the hardness and texture of the rice, so fire control is crucial. Needless to say, it is much more complicated to regulate it with the wood than with a simple gas control, but basically it would be necessary to add more wood to the fire if we have leftover broth or to put aside wood if we want a slower cooking speed.

The world of paella is surrounded, as you can see, with many topics and paradigms, although we like to call them “tradition”. Among them are the fact of eating the paella with a spoon – if you want to be very purist, made of wood, although not usually done-, and paella must be placed in the center of the table so the diners could eat straight out of the pan.

You may wonder what we manage with the meat (rabbit and chicken), or with the snails, if there were any. Very simple, with the hands, although it can be supported with an auxiliary plate.
This practice is not carried out in a generalized way, but there are always some diners who prefer it that way.

If we adhere to the genuinely Valencian tradition of making paella, together with the rice, the main ingredients are chicken and rabbit, usually in equal parts or, failing that, more chicken than rabbit. Both are fried – a lot – at the beginning of the paella’s elaboration being the key ingredients that add flavor to the dish. When the paella is being made, the rabbit’s liver is removed and taken as an appetizer, as an exquisite thing.

On our website you will find all the secrets on how to cook Paella Valenciana step by step. Remember that if you want to learn in a group and with a professional chef how to prepare this exquisite dish, you can book one of our courses. We are the best Paella School in Valencia!