Paella on the Prairies
For most Canadians, when we think of Spanish cuisine we think of paella and sangria. I’ve watched for years as my friends or new people we meet interact with The Spaniard – the conversation is often the same. If they have been to Spain it is to Madrid or Barcelona, and if they talk about food, they talk about paella. The Spaniard is from the north coast of Spain. While you can find sangria and paella at bars and restaurants in Santander, the region of Cantabria is far from the south where the dish and the drink originate from. Funny enough, The Spaniard only started making paella after he moved to Canada. He brought back a paella (the name for the flat pan the rice cooks in, as well as the name of the finished dish) to Edmonton after his first trip back home at Christmas, and he has been feeding my friends and family paella on the prairies ever since. Since a paella is to be cooked over an open flame, The Spaniard took advantage of the covered …
