Paella is the Valencian rice dish traditionally cooked in a wide, shallow pan over an open fire.
The dish originated in the Valencian Community, where rice farmers and other rural workers cooked a practical midday meal using ingredients available around the fields. Traditional Valencian versions may include short-grain rice, rabbit, chicken, snails, green beans, lima beans, tomato, olive oil, and saffron. Seafood paella and mixed versions are popular today, although many Valencians reserve the name paella valenciana for the local meat-and-vegetable tradition.
The word paella originally refers to the pan itself in Valencian and Catalan. Its shallow shape helps rice cook in a relatively even layer, while cooking over orange wood, pine branches, or other fuel can add aroma. A browned layer of rice at the bottom is called socarrat and is considered a prized feature when it is crisp rather than burnt. Fideuà is a related Valencian dish, but it uses noodles instead of rice.