Rice culture in the heart of Spain

Today we will begin the story about specific restaurants with a place that can and should be attributed to the type of “unexpected discovery” or “star in the outback”. This restaurant is located away from busy and noisy tourist routes and, nevertheless, is a symbolic place for connoisseurs of Spanish cuisine. It is not very easy to find in reference books, but among your gourmet friends there is hardly anyone who has not had dinner at Paco Gandia at least once in his life. I had lunch, because a good arroceria, a restaurant specializing in rice and oriented to the Spaniards, and not to tourists, can be recognized by the hours of work – it works only for lunch. At dinner, the Spaniards do not eat rice: firstly, they consider it too dense food for dinner, and secondly, they are so used to for hundreds of years.

In order to get such a correct gastronomic history as a good arroseriya, you need solid roots and deep traditions. Continue reading →