L'Arrosseria Xàtiva Gràcia

The whole of the Iberian Peninsular coast has an important and varied culture revolving around rice that started more than a thousand years ago with the Arabs. Each area has its own way of cooking it and its own recipes for rice. The Catalans love diced onion in their rice dishes, something the Valencians consider an abomination. And while the Catalans like mixing rice with meat and fish, the Valencians think that's absurd. A good way to get to know other ways to understand this grain is to try the dishes at Xàtiva, which aren't Valencian, but of Alicante origin. Lest we get confused...

Baked rice, together with 'caldoso' soupy rice and paella, holds a place of honour as the most popular of dishes to come out of Valencia. As a recipe traditionally prepared with leftovers from other stews, you'll find it often contains ingredients such as 'morcilla' blood sausage, chickpeas or pieces of different kinds of meat. More typical of the interior than of the coast, baked rice dishes are featured at Arrosseria Xàtiva among a menu full of Valencian tradition. They follow an original recipe out of a Catalan cookbook called 'Llibre del Coch' (1520), and there are two versions available: a summer one with potato and tomato and a winter with ear of Iberian pig's ear, both with artisanal rice from the Pego-Oliva marshlands in Valencia.