Paella is a rice dish originating in Valencia, Spain. It traditionally contains rice, chicken, rabbit, snails, beans and artichokes. The rice is cooked in a flat pan over an open fire with saffron added, which gives it a golden color. Jamon is Spanish cured ham, which comes in two varieties - serrano from the mountains and higher quality iberico from black Iberian pigs. The hams are salted, dried and aged for several months. Tortillas are flat, round breads from Mexico made of corn or wheat flour. They can be eaten plain or used to wrap fillings for burritos, tacos and other dishes.

2. PAELLA
• Paella is currently an
internationally-known rice dish
from Spain. It originated in the
fields of a region called Valencia on
the eastern coast of Spain.
Today paella is made in every region
of Spain, using just about any kind
of ingredient that goes well with
rice. It may contain chicken, pork,
shellfish, fish, eel, squid, beans,
peas, artichokes or peppers.
Saffron, the spice that also turns
the rice a wonderful golden color is
an essential part of the dish.

3. Origins of Paella
There is an old story of how the Moorish kings’ servants
created rice dishes by mixing the left-overs from royal
banquets in large pots to take home. It is said by some
that that word paella originates from the Arab word
“baqiyah” meaning left-overs. However, linguists believe
that the word paella
comes from the name
of the pan it is made
in - the Latin
term patella, a flat
plate on which
offerings were made
to the Gods.

4. Preparation
we know for certain that it was not until the
mid-nineteenth century that
modern paella was created in an area around
Albufera (a fresh water lagoon near the city
of Valencia). At lunch time, workers in the
fields would make the rice dish in a flat pan
over a fire. They mixed in whatever they
could find - such as snails and vegetables.
For special occasions, rabbit and later
chicken were added.

5. Varieties of Paella
Traditional Paella Valenciana-
This recipe has rabbit, chicken
and snails, as well as beans and
artichokes.
Paella de Marisco-
It is known as paella de marisco
, or Seafood Paella because it
contains a mix of fish, shrimp,
clams and mussels. It is very
popular with summer visitors to
Spain.
Paella Vegetariana-
Vegetarians –. It contains white
beans, artichokes, eggplant and
peppers.

7. Jamón
• Jamon or Spanish Ham is both unique in its
taste and text
• There are two primary types of jamón:
1. jamón serrano (meaning
ham from the sierra
or mountains)
2. jamón ibérico (ham
from
the Black Iberian pig)

8. Preparation
Fresh hams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered
with salt for about two weeks in order to draw off excess moisture
and preserve the meat from spoiling. The salt is then washed off
and the hams are hung to dry for about six months. Finally, the
hams are hung in a cool, dry place for six to eighteen months,
depending on the climate, as well as the size and type of ham being
cured. The drying sheds are usually built at higher elevations, which
is why the ham is called mountain ham.

9. Serving
Ham should be consumed at room
temperature, or about 21ºC. At this
temperature the fat appears lustrous;
when it is too cold, its appearance is
more opaque.
Slices should be thin, of medium size,
and contain a certain amount of the
marbled fat that gives them their
particular succulence.
In addition to its incomparable flavor,
the nutritional properties
of "bellota" quality Iberico ham make
it an ideal complement to a healthy,
balanced diet.

11. Tortilla
Tortilla means “little torta” or “little cake” in
Spanish. It is a type of Mexican flat bread eaten
by them.
Type of tortilla-
1) Flour tortilla
2) Mexican tortilla
3) Black bean tortilla
4) Ham tortilla
5) Corn tortilla
6) Chicken tortilla

12. Preparation
The unleavened tortilla is round and
flat — it resembles a very thin
pancake. The hand-shaped tortilla can
be made from corn flour (masa) or
wheat flour, but is always baked on a
griddle (comal). It can be eaten plain
or wrapped around various fillings.
Tortillas are the base for burritos,
tacos and a multitude of other dishes.
Both corn and flour tortillas are sold
prepackaged in the refrigerator
section of most supermarkets.