PAELLA TIME
You could be forgiven for thinking that Spain’s rice dishes start and end with the ever-popular paella. However, the influence of rice on Spanish cookery is undeniable and there are many interesting and varied dishes throughout the whole of Spain featuring rice where it is paired with meat, fish, shellfish and vegetables and rice is also widely used to thicken stews and soups. Valencia produces virtually all of the rice in Spain and it has been grown in the Albufera region of Valencia since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its production spread north along the Mediterranean coast to the Delta Del Ebro and south into Extramadura and Mallorca. Here in Mallorca, our local rice is known as “Arroz bombeta” from the S'Albufera in the municipality of Sa Pobla. Rice production in this area is still harvested in a traditional way and it was first planted here in way back in 1800. In the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, its production was almost a...