Arroz Con Pollo
cooking insights
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Arroz Con Pollo
facts & tidbits
Are Arroz Con Pollo
and Paella a la Valenciana
the same dish?
That used to be case. Until the mid-20th century, the terms Paella a la Valenciana and Arroz Con Pollo were interchangeable. They defined a straightforward rice-and-chicken paella.Then, chefs in restaurants from Madrid to New York began making Paella a la Valenciana outlandishly complex. They incorporated into it everything in their larder: chicken, fish, lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels, what have you.
What type do most
Valencianos eat?
The hyped-up version of Paella a la Valenciana is seldom eaten by most Valencianos. They may now add a couple of meat or seafood ingredients to the dish, but not a bunch of them. Nowadays, the traditional version (Arroz Con Pollo) is more popular among rural than urban residents. It's also widely popular in Latin America.
Does the star
ingredient
differ regionally?
Along the region's balmy Mediterranean coast, the star ingredient is most apt to be shellfish, perhaps mussels or shrimp. Inland, where the littoral plain gives way to foothills and mountains, the cook's first choice is generally chicken. And, if that is the case, the dish is usually called Arroz Con Pollo rather than paella.
Which is better,
a peasant
Arroz Con Pollo
or a restaurant
Paella a la Valenciana?
A well-made, peasant-style Arroz Con Pollo is infinitely superior to the run-of-the-mill restaurant style Paella a la Valenciana and is just as delicious as a great one. It's also quicker, easier, and less expensive to prepare.
Is rice a major
crop in Valencia?
Rice (the foundation of any paella or Arroz Con Pollo) is extensively grown. This cereal grain was introduced to the Spanish Mediterranean coast two thousand years ago by Middle Eastern traders.
What about
the orange?
These Middle Eastern seafarers also brought with them what would turn out to be Valencia's most famous product, the orange. "On nights when orange blossoms open, the countryside is filled with a heady fragrance," the daughter of a Valencian farmer told me. "It's the aphrodisiac of Valencia."
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