Valencia Gastronomy
The rich variety ol Valencian cuisine, reflecting the diversity of local products, is another ol the pleasant surprises that await you. Among the region's well known dishes, Valencian paella ( 33Kb ) is the true protagonist. Genuine paella is done over a wood fire, with the broth being prepared first before adding the rice.
But there are many other valencian rice recipes, such as: arròs a banda ( 14Kb ) (rice dish with seafood), arròs negre (rice with squid, hence "black"), arròs al forn (oven-baked rice), arròs amb bledes (rice with chard), arròs amb fesols i naps (with haricot beans and turnip)...
You can also stil try other treats such as fideuà
(a kind of paella with noodles instead of rice), originally from
Gandia; all i pebre (eels in garlic sauce), from the inland lagoon
of Albufera; suquet de peix (fisherman's dish); esgarrat (salted
cod with sweet peppers); figatell (meatballs made from liver).
All of these can be enjoyed together with Valencian wines - white
from the Alto Turia and Serranía areas, or red from Requena,
Utiel and Campo de Llíria. And in addition to the quality
of Valencia's fruits, in which oranges ( 12Kb ) play a major role,
you'll find an extensive array of confectionery, the star of which
is the arnadí (a pie made from sweet potatoes) and a series
of typical refreshments such as horchata de chufa (tiger nut milk),
often accompanied by fartons (a kind of sweet breadstick), originating
in Alboraya.