Rice and paella ·
Paella origin and the history of rice in Spain
Paella origin and the history of rice in Spain: where paella is from, who brought rice, when Valencia began growing it. Timeline, myths and answers.
Paella catering
Paella catering and show cooking in Alicante
Rice is what people ask us for most, and what we do best. We cook it in front of your guests, for 40 people or for 500 in a single service.
Rice dishes
Our local rice dishes
There’s no such thing as one paella. There’s the rice that suits each place and each fiesta. These are the ones we make most:
- Arroz a banda (rice cooked in fish stock)
- Rice with rabbit and snails
- Rice with pork and tender garlic
- Arroz con costra (crusted rice)
- Black rice (with squid ink)
- Vegetable paella
If your town makes it differently, let us know. Chances are we’ve cooked it already.
Capacity
How many guests
From 40 to 500
guests in a single service.
We have paella pans, burners and equipment to feed five hundred people at once. And forty out in the countryside, too.
How the service works
You choose how much we do
- Just the rice.
- We bring the paella pans, the ingredients and the cook. You provide the venue and the tables.
- Rice and service.
- We cook, plate and serve, with disposable tableware or proper crockery.
- The whole meal.
- Aperitif, rice, dessert and drinks, with set-up, staff and clear-away.
Waiting staff and tableware are itemised separately in the proposal, depending on the format. Travel from Aspe is confirmed once we have the venue address.
Logistics
How the day of the rice is organised
We agree the mealtime and work backwards: arrival, setting up the burners, the sofrito and when the rice comes out. We need unloading access and space to cook; we bring the rest of the kit ourselves.
If the event is outdoors, tell us the rain plan and whether cooking is allowed there. For large groups, we decide together whether to plate at one point or serve at the table.
For a single huge pan as the centrepiece of the fiesta, see our giant paella for fiestas and events. If you’d rather gather at home or on a finca, we also offer paella delivery.
Where we cook
Areas and travel
We leave our kitchen in Aspe for anywhere in Alicante province. We also travel to Valencia, Murcia and Albacete. Travel forms part of the proposal.
Stations
And if you fancy a bit more
Cured fish and charcuterie from Pinoso, pickles and cocas, vermouth, fried snacks, croquetas, ham carving, a sweet finish.
See all the stations →You may also like:
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What’s the minimum for a live paella?
For on-site service, we work from 40 guests. For fewer, we’ll have it ready for you to collect from our shop in Aspe.
How many paella pans do you need for 500 guests?
We have the kit for 500 guests in a single service: pans, burners and staff. Beyond that we look into it with notice. How many pans depends on the rice and whether you eat all at once or in shifts.
What do you need at the venue for show cooking?
An outdoor or well-ventilated spot for the burners, with water close by. We bring everything else.
Do you cook rice for people with allergies or for vegetarians?
Yes. Tell us how many and what they need, and we’ll make a separate paella.
Does live paella travel from Aspe to other provinces?
Yes: the whole of Alicante province, plus trips to Valencia, Murcia and Albacete. Travel is set out in the proposal.
If you’re planning a community meal, take a look at our giant paella for events; to get your group together at your own place, we also offer paella delivery for groups.
Paella works for a working lunch too: see our corporate events. If the event is in Alicante or nearby, we also offer catering in Alicante.
See photos of our paellas cooked live.
Quote
How many of you are there?
Tell us the day, the place and the numbers, and we’ll tell you how we’d do it.
Resources
Rice and paella ·
History of Valencian cuisine, century by century
History of Valencian cuisine: from Moorish rice to paella and Alicante stews. A timeline, a table of dishes and answers to the questions people ask most.
Rice and paella ·
How much rice per person for paella (table)
How much rice per person for paella: 100 g for a Valencian paella. A table for 10 to 200 guests, the shopping list for 50 and how much stock you need.
Event planning guides
- Paella, arroz a banda or costra: choosing rice for an event
- Paella at a country venue: fire rules and permits
Glossary terms
Arroz con costra
Arroz con costra (crusted rice) is the rice dish of Elche and Orihuela: rabbit, local sausages and chickpeas under a crust of baked egg.
RiceArroz del senyoret
Arroz del senyoret is an Alicante seafood rice with the shellfish peeled and the fish boned, so you can eat it without getting your hands messy.
RiceBomba rice
Bomba is a Spanish short-grain rice that soaks up a lot of stock and stands up to long cooking without going soft.
RiceCaldero
Turismo Región de Murcia describes caldero as the Mar Menor’s characteristic rice dish, made with fish and ñora peppers.
RiceCreamy, soupy and dry rice
The three ways a Spanish rice dish can turn out, depending on the stock: dry rice absorbs it all, creamy is like risotto and soupy is eaten with a spoon.
RiceFideuà
Fideuà is a dish from Gandia made like a paella but with short noodles instead of rice, cooked dry in fish stock and served with alioli.
RiceRecipes
Basics
Mortar allioli
Traditional allioli is made in a mortar with just garlic, olive oil and salt. No egg, plenty of patience: the classic partner for arroz a banda and fideuà.
Total time: 20 min
RiceAlicante
Arroz a banda
Arroz a banda for 4: ñora and baby cuttlefish sofrito, double the fish stock to rice, dry in the paella pan, fish served apart with potato and allioli.
Total time: 24 min
RiceElxOrihuelaPegoTorreviejael Baix Segura
Arroz con costra (crusted rice)
Arroz con costra: a rabbit and sausage rice cooked for 8 minutes in the earthenware pot and finished with beaten egg in the oven or under a costrera.
Total time: 46 min