Paella Valencia

"It's pronounced pah-e-yah," he said. I repeated after him but it didn’t match up to his standard. "You got to say it with a lilt ('song' was the word he used to explain). Bring a little romance into it," he smiled. "Pah-e-yah," I said. "Almost there," he exclaimed triumphantly. I was at the century-old La Marcelina, a renowned classic in Valencia, the home of paella, and it was the gracefully-grey chief steward who was playing tutor. When it’s the paella being discussed with a true-blue Spaniard, getting every nuance correct relating to this star of the gastronomy galaxy is essential. And lesson one is its intonation. The recipes and ingredients may patiently await their turn.

Paella has interesting history, its origins lying in the food preferences of the Moors who repeatedly conquered Spain between AD 711 and 1492. Their typical dish was a combination of rice, meats, vegetables and spices cooked in broth (which in turn was supposedly an Arabic/Persian influence and closer home the biryani and pulao are said to have come across those shores). The rice-based hot-pot was usually prepared at family feasts or religious celebrations and shared by the community, a feature that’s still common in the Islamic world. The paella was born out of these influences. Around the 18th century it began being savoured as a stand-alone celebratory fare in the Valencia region, at places replacing the barbeque as an outdoorsy treat, and evolved to its present-day form by the mid-19th century. Steadily its aromas spread across Spain acquiring a tag for itself on the way as the national dish, tad inaccurately though, as it primarily remains proudly Valencian, prepared and served with flourish at its bistros and restaurants. Paella is their top souvenir too, its image being visible on fridge magnets, aprons, diaries, broaches and much more. 

Quite stereotypically it’s said the Spanish love siesta and fiesta and everything else fits in between. If this is another way of saying they enjoy the good life, that’s true, as my Spain tour showed. Weekdays were workdays, just as the weekends were strictly not that! I was in Valencia on a Sunday, when city commerce tightly downs its shutters and the crowds are out sunning on the popular Playa (beach) de Las Arenas, cruising down the Mediterranean, happily filling open-air cafes, or among other sites exploring the superb Bioparc—Europe’s only new generation animal habitat, certainly not to be skipped during a visit.

It’s also a custom-made day to enjoy Spain’s famously-long lunches (a several course affair between 2 pm - 4 pm). And nothing could have been more apt than an extended session at the beach-front La Marcelina, digging into the traditional ‘Paella Valenciana’, consisting of bomba rice (incidentally, rice as an everyday grain was introduced by the Moors to the Iberian Peninsula), rabbit, chicken, snails, vegetables—white lima beans and green beans or bachoqueta are a constant—tomatoes and saffron. Today there are as many versions of paella as there are cooks and its ingredients can include seafood, pork, meat, duck etc but these are given a thumbs-down by the connoisseur. I settled for a veggie adaptation which was deliciously robust even as it was delicately flavoursome. My group of fellow travellers definitely enjoyed their genuine-as-it-gets fare making correct noises about succulent rabbit meat, spice-infused chicken and crisp-tender snails.

  

Just as every home in India worth its garam masala has a secret recipe, every Spanish home will lay claim to preparing the most authentic paella. It requires painstaking labour, being cooked fresh and on an open fire. So as elsewhere in the world, Spaniards have increasingly begun going out for a paella meal and classic restaurants make sure they serve it suave.    

As I realised, savouring the paella is merely a part of the experience. The joy lies in the element of passion accompanying every step. In fact the entire process, from preparation to presentation, is akin to a faultless theatre production. There are the backstage boys — the master chef and his team, them being more like the king and his trusted aides; the supporting cast — steward, maitre d', front-end  manager; the various acts — the multiple courses which include sangria/red wine and rounds of appetizers; and of course the protagonist of the plot — paella.

At conventional places as La Marcelina, the paella is brought to the table in the paellera (wok-like, albeit flat with shallow sloping sides and large, the dimension going up to 3 ft) itself and displayed almost vertically  — a mark of perfection — to guests garnering much applause and appreciation. Individual portions are subsequently placed on platters and served with a wedge of the all-important lemon. At homes there’s a scramble for the toasted rice (the khurchan as we know it) lining the bottom of the pan, and considered an essential of good paella. The restaurants make sure they distribute the khurchan unbiased! Spanish restaurants are buzzing places to be in and a paella meal makes the occasion more celebratory; a must-experience when visiting the country, especially Valencia.  

A question I was frequently posed on my return was if the paella could measure up to a biryani. My plea is don’t even venture into the apples to oranges debate. Besides, it’s sacrilege to compare anything prepared with a certain long-grain, divinely-fragrant rice called basmati.  

Best paella restaurants in Valencia (as recommended by locals) 

La Marcelina                                             

Neptune Avenue 8, 
Playa de Las Arenas (beachfront)

www.lamarcelina.com
La Pepica

Neptune Avenue 6, Playa de Las Arenas

www.lapepica.com

Palace Fesol

Calle (or street) Hernan Cortes 7, (City Centre)

www.palacefesol.com

El Rall

Calle Tundidores 2, (City Centre)

www.elrall.es

Restaurant Nou Raco 

Carretera (or road) Palmar 21,

Inside Albufera Park

www.nouraco.com
Restaurant Mateu

Calle Baldoví 17,

El Palmar, Albufera

Quick Facts

Best time: June to September

City sights:Plaza de la Reina, part of the historic City Centre, that has El Micalet, the landmark octagonal bell-tower, and the Valencia Cathedral purportedly housing the Holy Grail; Plaza de Toros; Central Market, amongst Europe's biggest enclosed food trade space; La Lonja, a Unesco world heritage site; Bioparc Valencia; and City of Arts and Sciences  

Getting there:

Air: International carriers fly into Valencia. From India flights have stopovers at European hubs of Milan, Zurich etc

Train: Valencia has direct connections with Barcelona and Madrid. The train from/to Madrid takes about 1.30 hrs and the journey is on the new, high-speed AVE train network. Purchasing a Eurail (www.eurailtravel.com) country/inter-country pass is a practical option.  

Accommodation: Hotel Sercotel Sorolla Palace, Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 58,

www.hotelsorollapalace.com

Hotel Westin, Amadeo de Saboya 16,

www.westinvalencia.com

Published in JetWings International, June 2011 

La Liga: Uno numero

Messi magic enthralled the world at the Wembley on May 28 as the mercurial striker once again lead Barcelona to victory, this time around in the prestigious UEFA Champions League final, confirming the status of (Spanish) La Liga as premier among European leagues. Football 
is truly a different ball game as compared to other sport and little else compares to watching the best in action LIVE! Here's sharing my recent experience of witnessing action of 
Spanish league 'futbol' and its growing popularity in India

V-a-l-e-n-c-i-a, V-a-l-e-n-c-i-a! The chant would reach a crescendo and then dip to a hush. Its cadence had the harmony of conducted orchestra. In a way, it was being orchestrated, by two sets of eleven men on a green field chasing a white ball. Every move of theirs was akin to the conductor’s baton, and every move produced a piece of music, both on field, where each action had the grace of a band of instrumentalists, and off-field in the spectator stands, where cheers and chants synchronised in perfect chorus.

I was at the Mestella Stadium in coastal Valencia, absorbed in watching a Premier Division match of the Spanish professional football league, usually referred to as La Liga, one of the most exciting sport leagues globally. With its dauntingly-steep terraced seating arrangement accommodating a capacity crowd of 55,000, the Mestella—home turf of Valencia Club de Futbol—is acknowledged for whipping up an electrifying
atmosphere unmatchable in all Europe. I was a witness to that stimulating ambience on the Sunday when home team Valencia took on Villareal. It was a crucial tie, where a win for Valencia would strengthen its hold on the all-important third place in the Spanish league, giving the team a direct entry into the qualifying round of next season’s UEFA Champions League, Europe’s uno numero tournament played by its top soccer clubs.

The European spectator, I’d heard, takes his soccer seriously and is a keen observer of field play. And so it was. Around me was a capacity crowd completely clued into the action and watching every move with an intensity associated with a chess tourney! Their reactions were perfectly timed: whether it was the resounding cheering when a team made brilliant moves to reach the goal post and mange to score; the chanting to
encourage their players; or jeering when they felt the referee had goofed. That night it was advantage home-team, and Valencia trounced Villareal 5-0. Watching the goal feast live spelled delight for my group of fellow travellers and I, who had turned Valencia loyalists almost immediately upon taking seats inside the stadium. Our local guide Miguel, a proud Valencian, didn’t need to prod us to support his side; the fervour of the
followers of the game having converted us into fans, and over the next few days in Spain we were scouting around for Valencia souvenirs! It goes without saying, a soccer match experience when touring the country is highly recommended.

I was pleasantly surprised at the level of crowd concentration, which came as quite a contrast to all my previous experiences of being part of live sporting action, usually cricket, in India, where typically the majority is a carefree, star (read cricketer)-stuck spectator. Of what I’ve seen, the Calcutta fan comes closest to his European counterpart for the gravitas he attaches to any game he watches. I felt it is the power-packed performance in all of 90 minutes that instills such passion into the crowd. It’s not for nothing that football is called ‘the beautiful game’ When players are on song, the moves are lyrical and a high quality show will always elicit a response of similar caliber.

In India we lack such performances, the reason only big ticket events draw the crowds. Even the country’s most popular sport had to repackage itself as a slam-bang T-20 format to get the crowd coming in, even as the once-celebrated league-format Ranji Trophy event languishes. In contrast European league soccer is intense-paced and over the past few years gained immense viewership across India. The yet largely-urbane trend started in the metros with uber sport bars and cafes installing plasma screens to telecast sporting action, and it spread to other cities as café culture grew. Stars of European leagues in Spain, Italy, Germany etc have developed a relatively sizeable fan-following and it’s all set to grow with sport channels constantly beaming live action.

 And it’s not restricted to gender. A Delhi-based colleague on the Spain trip eagerly picked up Real Madrid memorabilia for her 14-year-old daughter when we visited its home ground, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, considered a ‘pilgrimage place’ in Madrid. Incidentally, the spectacular achievement of the club makes a visit here truly special for a sport buff; and I felt had the security at the stadium not been tough, the ground would have been bereft of turf, with ardent fans wanting to take a bit of the grass along! Another highlight of the stadium is its chic eatery, the Realcafe Bernabeu that allows a ringside view of the stadium, albeit only on non-match days. It serves fusion and Mediterranean cuisine at surprisingly affordable prices and also an assortment of quality wines. Food apart, the scrumptious highlight remains the unrestricted sight of the stadium and visualizing the euphoria when packed. The Real Museum is another glittering gallery of achievements to walk through.

The contest among Spanish clubs is fierce and so is fan allegiance. But on May 28, when Manchester United took on Barcelona in the 2011 edition of the Champions League final at the Wembley, all Spanish inter-club rivalry was put on hold to support only one name…Barcelona! And miles away, in many cities of India, cheering fans donned T-shirts of the teams and watched two sets of eleven men chase the white ball to net goal after goal (3-1) to lift the prestigious trophy.