A Guide to Local Cuisine

Valencian cuisine is a reflection of its environment: the Mediterranean Sea and the fertile orchards that surround the city. Valencia is the home of paella, probably the most famous dish in Spanish cuisine. But paella is much more than a seafood rice dish. In fact, there are many variants of paella, and some of the most traditional ones include chicken, rabbit, and garden vegetables.

But Valencia isn’t just about paella. Other typical dishes include arroz a banda (rice cooked in fish broth), all i pebre (a kind of eel and potato stew), and fideuà (similar to paella, but with noodles instead of rice). And for dessert, nothing is better than a piece of turrón (a sweet made from almonds and honey) or a serving of horchata de chufa, a refreshing drink that is especially popular in the summer.