I use to think when looking at Paella that it was just the Spanish version of Jambalaya, or the Italian Risotto. But it looked like the healing might take some time: (Yes, U.K.) Then dish expanded beyond the coastal region of Valencia, and soon seafood became a standard ingredient. Many folks say the best Paella and most authentic still comes from Valencia. There are countless recipes for paella, which originates in Valencia and involves rice plus ingredients such as rabbit, seafood, snails and artichokes. It would seem a natural dish, since rice is grown in Spain, and all meats, and seafood in some regions are plentiful, that this dish would be a natural. Chorizo is notably not mentioned, but, hey, the Paella Company happens to have a recipe called Chicken, Chorizo & Roasted Red Pepper Paella, so why is everyone upset with Oliver? The Mediterranean is known for developing the art of frying, because of the lack of good slow burning firewood. But never, according to the Spanish foodies on Twitter, is it used in paella. Valencia is where the Romans introduced irrigation and then the Arab conquerors that brought rice, prefected it.
– Jamie Oliver has managed to "offend a whole nation," Stuff.co.nz reports—and he did it with pork sausage. The celebrity chef posted on Twitter what the Telegraph calls an "unorthodox" recipe for paella—a hodgepodge of rice, meats, veggies, and spices—incurring the wrath of Spanish culinary experts across the Internet. "Good Spanish food doesn't get much better than paella. My version combines chicken thighs & chorizo," Oliver cheerfully tweeted Tuesday. The Naked Chef's crime: including the chorizo, which is apparently frowned upon by many who don't consider the sausage-leaning version an authentic Spanish dish. Reaction was spicier than the meat he threw into his inadvertently insulting concoction. "Thanks for destroying our most famous recipe," one user commented, while another noted, "Your paella is an abomination," per the Telegraph. The BBC points readers to Wikipaella, a site dedicated to real-deal paella, whose founder once listed the dish's "golden rules" for the Independent, including using only Spanish rice and "No garlic. No peas. No potatoes. No stock. NO CHORIZO." (The rules also indicate that, for "ultra-authenticity," paella should only be cooked by men, specifically Spanish ones from Valencia, so take those rules for what they're worth.) MarketWatch notes that Oliver is something of a "serial offender": A couple of years back, his jollof rice recipe irritated West Africans. (The BBC offers a defense of chorizo-filled paella.)