Research confirms the ingredients of paella, rather than a dish

Valencia (Spain), 17 Mar A group of researchers have confirmed in a study the ten essential ingredients of authentic Valencian paella, “much more than a dish” because of their roots and ritual, according to Spanish chef José Andrés. The research, presented today in Valencia (eastern Spain), has confirmed that the ingredients are rice, water, olive oil, salt, saffron (or dye), tomato, flat green bean, carob (large bean), chicken and rabbit. The results allow us to exclude ingredients that are never used and should be avoided in a recipe for true Valencian paella and also includes others from the list of frequent or occasional. Along with the ten essential ingredients - used by more than 90% of the nearly 400 non-professional chefs interviewed in 266 towns and cities in the province of Valencia, except rabbit, with 88.9% - another 38 habitual have been identified, as well as 50 that are used occasionally. Thus, apart from the percentages of use of the ten essentials, but with a very significant use, are paprika (62.5%), rosemary (52.2%) and artichoke (46.3%), the latter being seasonal. But in addition to the ingredients, paella - one of the best known dishes in Spanish gastronomy - has a magical part that is the cooking technique, the ritual, the firewood, the control of fire, in a “metaphor for the life of understanding” because, “if you control the fire, you will be able to cook everything”, says José Andrés. “It takes you one life, or several, to try to understand what a Valencian paella is,” he said at the presentation of the study, before issuing a warning about paella, which he cooks in the United States: “God willing, we'll take it to the space station someday, why not.” The chef argued that the promotion of Spanish dishes abroad must be accompanied by the use of our own ingredients - rice, oil, saffron, paella pan - to create wealth among producers and in the rural world. He precisely referred to the container where paella is cooked due to the disparity in its name - paella pan for some, paella for others - to ask the Valencian authorities to show up “at the Language Academy and agree because there is a tremendous mess”. José Andrés also spoke of the problem of Spain, an agricultural country, becoming a desert and urged that it be at the forefront of this issue in order to discover water desalination systems that avoid the lack of water resources. The research on the ingredients of paella has been carried out by Pablo Vidal, Pilar Medrano and Enrique Sáez and published in the scientific journal International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science in the article entitled “A nightmare glocal discussion. What are the ingredients of Valencian Paella?”. The study confirms that 80% of the home cooks interviewed make it for more than four people and that 79.8% prepare it on Sundays and in other exceptional circumstances, making it a festive and celebratory dish with a social connotation, which is “the reason for the success” of paella. CHIEF im/acm/acm (photo) (video)