Over 160 kg of meat, vegetables and rice go into this huge pan to prepare one of the largest paellas in Spain. However, this paella is only half of what Vicente Martínez and his team prepare for the Quesa festival in Valencia.
At the end of the day, these paellas will feed over 1,000 people for free. The size of this paella isn't the only thing that's unique. It also has a unique ingredient, emphasizing that this paella comes from Valencia. So what does it take to make so much paella?
— I have been making giant paellas all over the world for 30 years. My name is Vicente Martínez and today we will make paella for 1,400 people during a popular city festival, says the organizer.
How is one of the largest paellas in Spain made?
This event is known as Wrestling Festival. On the morning of the festival, Vicente and his workers unload and transport them to the city square two paella pans with a diameter of 2.35 m. Once the pans are stable, they begin to cook.
The giant paella is cooked in a pan over two meters long
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— I use oil first. Then we check the stability of the pan again. Then we light the fire and add the meat, explains Vicente.
Each paella uses 8.5 liters of olive oil, 75 kg of chicken and 30 kg of rabbit.
– We fry the meat. As you can see, it's now ready. “I fry them in the middle of the pan and then stir them so that all the meat is perfectly cooked,” he explains.
When the meat is ready, 40 kg of frozen green, crescent and white beans, as well as 5 kg of snails, are added to the mixture.
We use ingredients typical of Valencia – chicken, rabbit and vegetables. In each place in our region, paella is prepared in a different way, but the base is always chicken, rabbit and vegetables such as green and crescent beans.
Once everything is mixed, 135 liters of water are added to the pot.
— Water can drive us crazy. There is a lot of it, and we cook on wood, which may be slightly drier or wetter, which affects the cooking time, says Gema Galbis, owner of Galbis Paella.
It is then thrown into the mixture 60 kg of local medium grain rice called arroz redondo. Cooking with wood means that the water and fire must be constantly monitored to ensure that the rice does not burn.
— This is a very difficult dish to cook for someone who hasn't done it before. Especially since we cook on wood. In fact, many cooks don't want to cook rice this way, says Vicente.
In Spain, rice such as bomba, albufera and redondo are commonly used because they can absorb more liquid and flavor than regular rice without becoming mushy.
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Paella is a flavor explosive mixture consisting of meats, vegetables and rice that absorbs these flavors. It all tastes delicious
They cook a giant paella to honor their ancestors. The Spanish tradition has existed since the 17th century
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Preparing paella. Here's what's key?
Paella pans can come in a variety of diameters, but the general shape is always wide, shallow and round with sloping edges. This shape is important because it helps the rice cook evenly in a single layer.
— The longer the rice is left in the pan, the better its flavor will be. Everyone wants to try it as soon as possible, but it tastes best at the end, says Vicente.
Many Spaniards agree with this.
— Socarrat is the rice that sticks between paella and regular rice. You scrape it off a little at a time and it tastes great with the rest of the rice, says the Valencia resident.
Everyone likes paella, but the specific ingredients that make real paella are still hotly debated.
The festival is now full of joy and celebration, but its origins are much darker.
In 1690, Quesa experienced a devastating plague epidemic that left only a few members of one family alive. The resilient, surviving family gave shelter and food to everyone who returned to Quesa.
To celebrate the return of people to Quesa and the rebirth of the city, as a symbol of hospitality, we make two giant paellas and offer bread to every visitor
– says Karina Primo, mayor of Quesa.
A giant paella in Valencia feeds over 1,000 people
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Paella is a traditional dish in Spain. How far back do its origins go?
Paella is believed to have originated from Valencian farm workerswho used shallow pans to cook rice over wood and added ingredients they could gather or hunt to make a cheap but filling one-dish dinner.
Over time, Spanish elites began to enjoy paella for weekday dinners, and it became increasingly popular throughout the country. Paella is now considered a traditionally Spanish dish, but it would not have been so had it not been for the introduction of rice by the Moors in the 12th century.
Since then, paella has adopted many variations throughout Spain, but the classic ingredients of rice, rabbit, snails and beans remain an integral part of the Valencian variety.
– It's a great luxury that there are people who make these amazing and delicious paellas for us – smiles one of the residents of Valencia.
In my opinion, paella is the best dish there is. I have been making it for over 30 years and I never tire of its taste
– says the festival organizer.
– What I love about this event is the fact that we can meet friends and family and enjoy a good meal together – praises one of the residents of Valencia.
There's always something missing to say that paella is perfect. You can say it's really good or almost perfect, but you can never say it's perfect
explains Vicente.
