The Mediterranean coast boasts some of the most spectacular seascapes in Spain, and a centuries-old devotion for rice
April – October
+
6-8 days
Glutton
Exquisite
Professional
Probably the most idiosyncratic dish in Spain is also the most profaned, both inside and outside Spain’s borders. If you thought that alarmingly yellow paella with chunks of red chorizo seemed appetizing, then you’ve never tasted proper paella. You’re lucky though, as you have the opportunity to discover a whole new world of intense flavour and textures: the freshness of the barely cooked seafood with the delicious socarrat (burned bottom rice), the depth of the fish broth, the earthly combination of rabbit and snails…
Paella is, like many dishes, a genius born out of necessity. A humble, extraordinarily simple in its complexity, combination of accessible ingredients and rice, today there are a number of combinations around Spain, the paella from Valencia being considered the original and the best. The rice culture in Spain spreads along the Mediterranean coast, first introduced by the Moors, boasting a rich variety of rice dishes from north to south, including the extensive land dedicated to rice production such as the Albufera Valenciana and the Delta del Ebro.
From the rugged and rocky Costa Brava, with its secluded beaches and pristine, turquoise waters, to the infinite sandy beaches of the south of Valencia, rice has a profound footprint in Mediterranean cuisine. This is a journey through some of the finest representations you will find anywhere in the world, a key food staple for humankind.
Feel in heaven with a real suquet (fisherman’s soup) or a lobster rice, simmered in a beach bar in one of the thousands of idyllic coves along the
Costa Brava.
Find inspiration in Costa Brava’s maritime tradition, along the cobbled streets flanked by old white walls in beautiful fishing villages that pepper this coast of rocks, pines and transparent turquoise waters.
Enlist with the crew of a fishing boat to really experience what it is to be a proper fisherman. No nonsense, you will rise at night and work as a member of the crew, or almost. In the end, the reward: a traditional seaman’s rice, on board with
the crew.
Infinite beaches with dunes that could belong to the Sahara; cliffs and Mekong-style rice fields, the landscape of the Ebro Delta is as spectacular and surprising as the rice grown and cooked there, simply magical.
Barcelona and Valencia, cities with some of the most unique architecture in the world, beaches with a Los Angeles-like cool vibe, still-active fishing ports, local food markets that hold treasures of produce, and innovation, tradition and the avant-garde in off-the-charts restaurants.
A small village, a family restaurant,
a small kitchen with a huge cook,
secret recipes and infernal embers,
here a myth is cooked, here a legend is forged.
Here, eating paella is a mystical
experience.
Sea urchin | |
Suquet: juicy traditional fish stew |
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Palamós red prawns | |
Espardenyes: a delicacy, fillets of the back of sea slugs |
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Arroz caldoso de bogavante: thick rice and lobster broth |
Local wines from Priorat region | |
Arroz negro: seafood rice cooked with ink squid |
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Arroz a banda: rice cooked in fish stock – fish served separately |
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Paella marinera: seafood paella |
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Paella de conejo y caracoles: paella with rabbit and snails |