Latin Foods: Celebrate National Paella Day today with Chef José Andrés

Paella

National Paella Day – celebrated every year on March 27 – commemorates a dish that’s seemingly simple and absolutely delicious. Paella originated in the Valencia region in eastern Spain, made from rice grown by farmers in the region. And while traditional Valencian paella features the addition of local, coastal ingredients including beans, chicken, rabbit, snails and artichokes, to coincide with Holy Week – when many Catholics abstain from eating meat – we’re featuring José Andrés’s riff on paella de marisco (paella with seafood). 

Latin cooks have made an art of creating sophisticated, flavorful one-pot meals from humble ingredients. In Mexico, pinto beans stewed with fragrant white onion – frijoles de olla – are eaten alongside tortillas for a filling meal; in the Dominican Republic, the ubiquitous platano – grown everywhere thanks to the island’s steamy temperatures – is boiled and mashed with garlic for creamy mangu.

There are countless other examples of unassuming ingredients – in most cases, simple staples – transformed into stand-alone dishes throughout Latin cuisine. Chief among them is paella, one of Spain’s most celebrated contributions to the culinary world.

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