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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver got himself in to hot water recently with his suggested paella recipe. The social media lit up with complaints from Spanish paella aficionados and restaurateurs, some of whom described his recipe as “an abomination ” and ” rice with stuff “. The main reason for the angry response was the inclusion of chorizo in the recipe, something which the experts say would never be included in an authentic paella.

The fervour with which one of Spain’s national dishes is guarded should not be underestimated. A new representative organization has recently been formed in Valencia called WIKIPAELLA which is dedicated to protecting the authenticity of the Paella Valenciana and which has given the seal of approval to 170 restaurants in the Valencia region, which follow the traditional methods and ingredients. They have identified the ten essential elements as chicken, rabbit, green beans ( ferradura), white beans ( garrofón), tomato, saffron, extra virgin olive oil, rice ( short grain, preferably bomba ), salt and water.

Absolutely not included are chorizo, onions, garlic, peas, potatoes ,stock, fish or shellfish. The latter form part of a seafood rice dish, but should never be mixed with meats. The other absolute is no stirring. Unlike risotto dishes, which are stirred continuously in order to achieve a creamy texture, paella rice is not stirred and is allowed to stick to the pan. In fact, the dark crusty pieces that are scraped from the pan are called “socarrat ” and are highly valued and known as Valencian caviar.

Traditionally, paellas were cooked over wood fires in the outdoors, but nowadays gas rings are acceptable. The wide and flat based paella pan allows for even absorption of the liquid and woks or other types of pan are not suitable. Paella is eaten straight from the pan and generally at lunchtime. If it is served as a portion for one, you can assume that it is not the real thing, but either frozen or reheated. For more information on this fascinating subject visit www.wikipaella.org