The famous paella dish first emerged in rural areas of Valencia (Spain) between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, due to the need of peasants and shepherds for food that was easy to transport and could be cooked using the ingredients they had at hand or simply had.
Thus, in its origin, the ingredients used in paellas were birds, rabbit, fresh vegetables at hand, rice, saffron and olive oil. All these ingredients were mixed with water and cooked over a low fire made with orange tree branches, which gave the paella a characteristic flavor and aroma.
There are no historical documents that exactly indicate the origin of the seafood paella (known as paella marinera), but it is the coastal alternative to the peasant paella, made from cuttlefish, squid, crayfish, lobster, clams, or mussels.
