If there is one question that sometimes annoys me, it's "so Paella is basically like Jambalaya, right?" I have always answered that with a stern shake of my head. "No, it's not."Well, I suppose I should amend my answer to a certain extent. Turns out that Jambalaya is actually sort of like Paella (strong emphasis on 'sort of'). As per Wikipedia (an authoritative source for all relevant research), Creole Jumbalaya originated in the French Quarter of New Orleans . . . and was an attempt by the Spanish to make Paella in the New World, where saffron was not readily available due to import costs. So, tomatoes became the substitute for saffron, and then add in some Caribbean influence and spices, and all of a sudden, you have a New World Paella called "Jambalaya."
Now, to be fair, most of this information is gleened from Wikipedia, so I am not 100% confident of its truth. In any event, it gives us something to think about. If you are looking for a how-to or recipe on Jambalaya, I am not your man, nor will I ever be.
Which is why it's important to stay true to the principles of a dish. Deviate and the result is jambalaya, or the tomato heavy 'Spanish' rice, or chahan etc, etc
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I dropped by as a courtesy to let you know that the folks at Sueca (A small Valencian town located between Valencia and Alicante) have given the go-ahead for a monument to the paella.
http://www.lasprovincias.es/v/20100527/ribera-costera/sueca-alzara-monumento-concurso-20100527.html
This is partly to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Spain's most important paella competition which will take place this September.
Last year's was covered here:
http://es.globedia.com/concurso-internacional-paella-valenciana
Note the photos - these show REAL paellas.
Unfortunately, El Rossinyol, the current champion (and which also won the best fideuà contest in Gandia) specialises in banquets making it very difficult for tourists to visit unless they reserve as a group.
As well as Valencia, Murcia is also famous for its rice dishes, particularly as what is arguably the finest Spanish rice comes from the region of Calasparra.
Here's a sample of some of the region's specialities. You might notice that they are called 'arroces' NOT paellas.
http://www.regmurcia.com/servlet/s.Sl?sit=c,543,m,1216&r=ReP-8626-DETALLE_REPORTAJESPADRE
some of the recipes have a video.
I realised why you thought an earlier comment I made was aggressive - a fistful of saffron was a literal translation of "puñado de azafrán". Basically, we say a fistful rather than a handful when measuring ingredients in Spanish. I guess "two fingers of olive oil" would be seen as rude to a Brit audience also. :D
Good luck with your blog.
Perhaps I'll drop another line next year.
La Valenciana.
Here's a link to a British cook's visit to Sueca for the competition I mentioned last year
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WyV1YD3zvs
It would have been the competition's 50th anniversary.
And here's a GREAT blog of some of the best rice dishes Valencia has to offer
http://blogs.mis-recetas.org/pepa/
Notice how she doesn't use the word 'paella' to describe any of these marvelous 'arroces' :p (and not an indica grain in sight!).
Hasta la próxima.
La Valenciana.