Traditionaly, paella was made on a woodfire stove but it is now made on a big gas burner that can fit the huge skillet. Paella is actually very simple to make. You put the rice and chicken broth in the pan, and let that sit while the rice is cooking. Then you add the spices and whatever meat you want to include in the dish. You cook the dish until the rice along the outside starts to get crispy. The dish takes around 30 minutes to make.
Paella can be made in a variety of ways depending on what meat is most abundant in your area. The oldest type of paella, called, Paella Valenciana, is made without any seafood. This type of paella is made with chicken, rabbit and pork. Another type of paella is cooked with just seafood such as shrimp, lobser, squid, clams, mussels. The type of paella I see most often around Spain is the Paella Mixto, which is a meat and seafood mix. They also have a vegetables option that is made with green beans, peas, bell peppers, etc. Although seafood is quite prevalant throughout Spain, you will see different types of paella depending on where you visit.
