What are the ingredients that CAN be used to prepare an authentic Valencian paella?
There are 19 ingredients that can contain the real Valencian paella.
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Below you will see a list of what are the real ingredients that can be tasted in the paellas made in the land of Valencia.
Although each of these ingredients is used to a greater or lesser extent by restaurants, chefs and paella makers in the area, the official list of the main elements for paella is as follows:
Saffron
Saffron has different purposes in paella. Among them we highlight that it dyes the rice with a nice color, besides perfuming it and enhancing the flavor of the food.
Paprika
Along with saffron is another of the spices that can be used in paella, and a study says that most paella cooks use it.
Flat bean
The flat green bean, rochet or bachoqueta among others, are the different names usually given to this vegetable that has always been used in paella.
Rice
The appropriate rice for an authentic and original paella is generally the round rice. Although from the variety of high quality rices that have been coming out, the paella can be cooked with different types of rice with which excellent results are achieved.
We always recommend the best rice, Riuet is par excellence our bet and with which the paellas end up being a real success. Although it is not the only one.
Chicken
This is another of the most important ingredients of the Valencian paella and the most used since the origins of this dish. Thanks to the chicken the broth gets a lot of flavor.
Rabbit
Another of the meats present in paella is rabbit, accompanied by pork ribs. For many it is another of the great pleasures of paella.
Pork ribs
Well, we already told you about it. It’s a pleasure to enjoy these delicious little morsels. Just like chicken, pork ribs add a lot of flavor to the broth.
Water
There is a legend that says that when a Valencian wants to cook a paella outside the Valencian Community, he takes with him a bottle of tap water from Valencia because it is said that the hardness of the water from Valencia favors the point and welding of the rice. We consider that this has little truth, but it may be true that doing it in another location may require adapting the cooking time to the conditions of the place.
Garrofón
It is another of the star ingredients of the dish, which gives a distinctive touch to the paella of Valencia.
Extra virgin olive oil
It is recommended to use an extra virgin olive oil to make the sofrito at the beginning. Do not use too much, it is not advisable to overdo it since the paella can become quite oily when the water of the broth has been absorbed.
Salt
With the salt it is not necessary to complicate. A fine iodized salt for potential flavor is enough.
Rosemary
To throw to the paella a sprig during some minutes during its cooking is more than enough to give a particular and very Valencian aroma. That smell of the countryside that comes to be the origin of the dish.
Snails
This is another very common ingredient in authentic Valencian paellas, but it is not necessary for the preparation of a perfect dish.
Garlic
It is added to the sofrito together with the tomato after having chopped it. Although not all cooks admit to using it, more than half of them do.
Duck
This is a meat that can be used, but it is not very common. Perhaps it is more normal in the area of the Albufera of Valencia since these birds abound, and the tradition has made that it is used more frequently.
Artichokes
When the season arrives, without a doubt, it is an indispensable ingredient for paella. They are sautéed with the vegetables before adding the water to make the broth.
