The most important things about making the meal are the pan you make it in, the amount of water you add and the fire you make it over. It is very important that the pan be very thin but large in diameter and cannot be thicker than a thumb's length. There should be about three times as much water as there is rice. The pan is traditionally placed above a wood fire.
To make the meal, first, you fry the meats and vegetables in the pan using the olive oil and some seasoning ingredients. Then, you add the rest of the seasoning ingredients and the water (room-temperature). Right before the rice is added, the saffron is placed in the pan. It generally takes between 15 and 20 minutes for the rice to cook. If you have experience cooking it will help you understand when the rice is truly done.
The food is connected to the local environment. Rice is a staple of Arabic diet and culture, which started when the Romans developed a sophisticated irrigation system to cultivate food. Since then, the paella developed over time. Paella was created in the 18th century but established its name in the 19th century. Today, you will see people visiting all parts of Spain to enjoy a meal that is part of Spain's tradition for more than 250 years.
