[Sca-cooks] Paella was Tomatoes( was Philip)

[Terry Decker]

In considering paella, we can easily reach a conclusion (which may or may 
not be wrong) that the dish predates tomatoes in the Mediterranean.

Now let me ask, does the dish predate rice in the Mediterranean?

Tomatoes arrived in the 16th Century and may not have been used in paella 
before the 17th Century.  Rice became an available crop in the Mediterranean 
Basin some time between the 8th and 10th Centuries with the Islamic 
Expansion.  Prior to that, rice was a very expensive product used primarily 
to thicken sauces.  Therefore, paella with rice was probably not known 
before the 8th Century.

The history of the dish may be obscure, but rather than run willy-nilly 
around the Mediterranean trying to compare recipes, concentrate on the 
Kingdoms of Valencia and Catalonia and the culinary influences that came 
there.  Culinarily, the region was first settled by Greeks.  The region 
became a Roman province with a very strong Roman influence.  The Visigoths 
probably did not add much culinarily to the region and there is little 
documentation.  The Moors brought the rice and their culinary style.  The 
results of these culinary migrations should show up in the Medieval and 
Renaissance Catlan recipes.

Where would I look?

I've done very little research of the Greek corpus.  Most of my forays have 
been modern works about the original sources.

The Roman corpus is more promising.  Paella is a derivation of patella, 
which suggests a strong Roman tie.  A quick look at Apicius shows there are 
recipes for Patellam Tyrotaricham Ex Quocumque Salso Volueris (Patella with 
Cheese and Salt Fish) and Patellam Lucretianam (Patella a la Lucretius), 
which may bear some relation to paella.

The Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook and the Sent Sovi will probably be 
critical to any study of paella.

Were I attacking this problem, I would look at the modern variations of 
paella and the techniques of preparation, then look for similarities and 
differences of preparation in older dishes while considering the evolution 
of ingredients.  It would be speculative, but hopefully it would be a 
logical progression with evidence to support the leaps of faith.

Bear