Paella is a traditional Valencian rice dish created in the mid 19th century near Valencia, Spain. During our 2011 Spanish road trip, we made sure to visit El Palmar, a small town outside of Valencia to taste some authentic paella. El Palmar was quaint and had little tourism.

Paella comes in three forms: Valencia, seafood, and mixed. The waiter at La Isla was very knowledgeable. We sat outside to experience the little time we had in this Spanish lake and coastal town. Located on the southeast end of Lake Albufera, the town is hard to get to via public transportation.

Paella

We ordered the seafood paella, along with a bottle of local white wine to share. The paella pan was large and had a variety of seafood. The rice stuck to the bottom of the pan, which is an indication that the meal was cooked correctly. There is one recipe restaurants have to use to call this dish paella on their menus in El Palmar. Other regions of Spain serve paella, but it is not authentic as it is in this region.

El Palmar from a Glass 2011

Even though we did not spend much time in El Palmar, it is worth the visit if you enjoy authentic cuisine!

What is your favorite Spanish influenced dish?

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