Eighteenth-century Valencians used calderos to cook rice outdoors near Albufera. The term refers to large cooking pots used on special occasions in the orchards around the lagoon, before the modern paella pan became the dish’s defining vessel.
The Albufera region was well suited to rice cooking because it combined extensive paddies, freshwater, fishing, and readily available local ingredients. Early versions could include rice, eels, water voles, beans, and other foods gathered around the lagoon. Cooking outdoors in a large pot made sense for communal meals and celebrations.
This history helps explain why the modern dish should not be projected unchanged into earlier centuries. Paella’s modern form is generally traced to the mid-19th century, while earlier Valencian rice preparations used different vessels and ingredient combinations. The word paella itself originally referred to the broad, shallow pan, not necessarily to every rice dish made in Valencia.
Calderos should not be confused with cazuelas, which are usually earthenware casseroles, or with woks and tagines, which belong to different culinary traditions.