Anyone For Rat and Eel Paella? The Spanish Foods Invented In Times Of Scarcity
Some of Spain’s most cherished foods have origins in times of scarcity, and some surprising original ingredients.
Valencian people are fond of telling outsiders about what Paella can and can’t contain. It’s not actually that complicated — Paella is a lunch-time dish which gets its name from the pan used to cook it. It contains chicken, rabbit, lima beans, flat green beans and a few things to give it flavour, along with — naturally — the rice, and sometimes snails. One can also make the seafood version, which has become the defining version outside Spain. But make it with anything more exotic — or mix the seafood and meat versions together — and some people get seriously riled.
In 2016 Jamie Oliver — already infamous for colonising West Africa’s jollof rice with vine-ripened tomatoes, lemons and parsley — caused national headlineswith his offensive ‘twist’ on paella, to which he introduced chorizo and threw together in a casserole dish. He received death threats. Gordon Ramsay similarly angered the Spanish media with his soupy ‘paella’ with chilli. This dish seemed to confuse Spain — a generally spice-averse country — with Mexico. Scandals like these, as well as the atrocities committed in tourist restaurants…
