[Sca-cooks] RE: Basque Food

[Terry Decker]

If you go back far enough, paella derives from the Greek "patane" meaning 
platter.  The Latin "patella" is a diminutive of "patina" and commonly 
refers to a kneecap shaped frying pan similar to a modern paella pan.  The 
Arabic use of paella is probably from contact with the Europeans.

The Romans ate similar mixed seafood dishs, such as Embractum Baianum, so 
paella is very possibly a fusion of Arabic rice and Roman cooking.

Bear



> My arabic friends tell me Paella is either Basque or Spanish, it's arabic! 
> The word
> "paella" comes from "Baquiyah, which means leftovers! But in some parts of 
> the
> Arab world the word is "paella". Byt my catalan friends the word come from 
> "patella",
> a fryingpan in their dialect.
> But according to my sources the origin of the dish is Valencia, They were 
> made
> under a popular festival, the Fallas. And they use huge plates to cook in 
> the street
> and invite everyone to share.
> In Valencia, Catalonien, some of the paella is made with noodles and not 
> with rice
> and it's called "fideoada".
> Surely the basques make excellent fish dishes but they are done in the 
> whole
> Mediterranean ara. The french Buillabuisse, a thick and reddish fish soup, 
> it's one.
> Ana