The question at the head of this article is more difficult to answer than it seems, because gastronomic borders are much more diffuse than in geopolitics. It is easy to see the link between Murcian rice with rabbit and snails and the classic Valencian paella. Or between the Catalan parellada rice and the senyoret rice that is consumed in Levantine lands. And it is that in these three regions of the Mediterranean strip we can find quite similar versions of soupy and dry rice; of seafood and mountain rice.
They are all united by their devotion to this versatile cereal, whose cultivation was introduced by the Arabs in the 8th century. We owe to the Muslims the transformation of many flooded and swampy landscapes of marshes and lagoons – until then considered sterile for agriculture – into orchards dedicated to the cultivation of a product that forever revolutionized the gastronomy of Mediterranean Spain.
A valuable heritage that has given rise to rice with denomination of origin As the Calasparra bomb (Murcia); the Valencian rice which has the Albufera de Valencia as its flagship (bomb, albufera, J.Sendra or marsh varieties); or also that of Ebro Delta (pump, bay, montsianell, senia, tebre).
The key is in the sauce
We know what the common vertex of the rice culture is in Murcia, the Valencian Community and Catalonia, but what are the main points of divergence? In the opinion of Paco Solecurrent owner and son of the founders of the emblematic rice restaurant in Barcelona 7 ports (Passeig d’Isabel II, 14), the main difference is in the sofrito. “The different combinations of sofrito and broth or smoked They are the ones that explain the great variety of rice that we have. It is a key question – Solé points out, in declarations to Direct to the Palate-. In Catalonia, for example, the sofrito has onion, something that in Valencia is considered a heresy (laughs)”.
Murcian by birth, Valencian by adoption, and with several years of experience in a rice restaurant in Barcelona, the cook Maria Jose Martinez, owner of the Lienzo restaurant in Valencia, is an authorized voice to speak about the matter at hand. “Indeed, the sofrito is essential. In Catalonia, in addition to adding onions, much more tomato is added to the rice than in Valencia and the paella is also put in the oven. You control the time, you open the door at the end so that steam comes out, and the rice dries. Yes indeed, charred you are not going to find. The Catalan client does not appreciate it like the one from Valencia”.
And how is the sofrito resolved in Murcia? “There we do it like in Alicante: a salmorreta with tomato, ñora, oil and garlic. And we also use the pepper very often, especially when it comes to rice with seafood.” Another difference that differentiates it from Valencian rice and makes it similar to those prepared in Alicante is that in Murcia broth is not usually prepared, “water is poured directly after pearling the rice previously [es decir, rehogar el grano con el sofrito hasta que adquiere un aspecto perlado o nacarado]”, explains the chef.
The most typical rice dishes of Valencia
Valencian Paella
It is the most universal rice… and also the one that arouses the most controversy. Valencian paella is a dish of rural and humble origin. The peasants threw whatever they had on hand into the rice: chickens, rabbits, eels, the lagoon rat (which fed on rice), and products from the garden such as green beans (bassinet) or broad, flat beans (garrofo). Another feature of authenticity is the incorporation of cow snails, a species that grows in dry mountains and in places where rosemary, lavender and thyme grow (which makes them a perfect complement to this dish). In order to clear up any doubts, the association Wikipaella It has been established what are the 19 ingredients that a rice worthy of bearing the name of paella can have.
Despite the humility of its ingredients, this dish is most formal. Purists advocate that it should be eaten straight from the container, ideally with the help of a well-polished wooden spoon. (And no lemon, please). It is important to scratch the socarrat well, that delicious film of toasted rice (not burnt) that adheres to the bottom of the paella.
Baked rice
A used rice that allows “recycling” the remains of the previous day’s cooking. It has chickpeas, bacon, black pudding, chorizo or pork ribs, potatoes, tomato and a head of garlic are added in the center. The recipe, which in a first version appears already collected under the name of rice in cassola al forn in the car free of 1520, hardly undergoes variations in any of the regions of the Valencian Community. It is the one in the inland municipality of Xàtiva, in the province of Valencia, that is most famous.
Rice with beans and turnip
A spoon dish which is usually eaten as a family and is passed down from generation to generation. It is perhaps the flagship of the Valencian syrupy-broth. Strong and full of flavor, thanks to the different parts of the pig with which it is made (ear, snout, bacon, trotters), this recipe is perfect for the cold months.
Plenty of rice
A seafood dish of Alicante origin that is worth two. It is typical of the coastal areas of Alicante and its invention It is attributed to the fishermen’s guilds, who used the trash or discarded fish that could not be sold at the fish market and used it to prepare a succulent broth or fish stock where a separate rice is cooked (a banda). The next day a stew is cooked with that broth, adding potatoes and shredded fish.
Where to eat good rice dishes in the Valencian Community? In Valencia itself, traditional establishments stand out, such as Carmel House, Robert House Y L’Alterin Picassent, which boasts of having appeared in New York Times. It is worth noting the rice dishes cooked with firewood from vine shoots Elijah House (Xinorlet, Alicante) and Paco Gandiain El Pinós (Alicante), as well as o James House (Peñíscola), where you can try the atypical but spectacular Calabuig rice, with espardenyes and ortiguillas.
The most typical rice dishes of Catalonia
parellada rice
A rice with legend. They say that the recipe emerged at the beginning of the 20th century in the Suís de Plaça Reial. This restaurant had as a regular customer a rich lawyer named Juli Maria Parellada. One fine day he decided to order a plate of boneless and boneless rice so as not to stain his fingers. And so they say that this “cousin brother” dish was born senyoret rice Valencian.
Catalan rice with sausage
A mountain rice that honors the mastery of the Catalans in the production of cured meats. It can be prepared with different types of sausage (especially black and white sausage), as well as bell peppers and the essential tomato sauce.
casserole rice
A traditional dish that was formerly served at weddings and major parties and later became a typical meal on Thursdays. It is cooked in a clay container and admits many variants, depending on the ingredients of the season. For example, in spring it is common to use tender beans and in autumn mushrooms. It admits both chicken -sometimes incorporating its fried blood- and game meat such as fish or shellfish.
Where to eat good rice dishes in Catalonia: 7 ports, the salty sea Y Can Sole in Barcelona; The Llagut (Tarragona); The Fishermen (Llança); Prawn (Gero 16. na); White Sun (Countries)
The most typical rice dishes of Murcia
Murcian Cauldron (from the Mar Menor)
Very typical seafood recipe from Murcia. It owes its name to the pot in which it is made, traditionally used by fishermen. It is made with fish from the Mar Menor, especially sea bream and mullet. The most famous is the one served in the Venezuela restaurant in Lo Pagán, made with fish guts and livers with tomato, fried heads and ganilles, fish broth, fish slices and, of course, rice.
Rice with rabbit and mountain snails
Cooked over vine shoots with bomba rice from Calasparra and mountain snails (or serranas), What are they pure mountain flavor. This Murcian specialty also has its replica in El Pinòs, a small town in the interior of Alicante and very close to Murcia and Albacete.
game rice
One of the most famous is that of partridge and foie that they prepare over the fire in Los Cazadores de Corvera. A sweet and aromatic rice that is pure mountain thanks to the presence of herbs of the mount like rosemary and thyme.
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Where to eat good rice dishes in Murcia: the cauldron of the restaurant is famous Venezuela (Lo Pagán) where its seafood and fresh fish also stand out; also with tradition are the cauldrons and other rice dishes Ramon (Los Alcacares); in The rice dishes of the 9 floors (Murcia) it is clear what is going to be eaten, where they are cooked on the vine in the city center; Taulla by Julio Velandrino (Murcia) stands out for its seasonal cuisine based on traditional Murcian gastronomy but reinterpreted with signature touches and more modern techniques; The Hunters of Corvera; the lemon trees (Archena); and for more game rice, Partridge (Sierra Espuña) is another classic located in a luxury enclave, in the middle of a natural park.
This is a new version of an article originally published on July 31, 2019.
Images | iStock.com On DAP | The most popular rice dishes in Valencian cuisine: from paella to senyoret, passing through baked rice
In DAP | Seven rice dishes that are not Valencian paella and that we like more (or almost)