Paella traces its history back to the 15th century, and it comes from the east coast of the country, from the Valencia region. In the swampy fields near Lake Albufera, the Spaniards have been growing rice for centuries, and it was their staple food in the Middle Ages. Now, of course, the classic recipe has undergone many modifications, but the sunny Spanish flavor remains unchanged.
Now no one will say for sure where the name "paella" came from. According to one version, it comes from the Latin word "patella", which means "frying pan", that wide, specially for cooking this dish. According to another, the name is a distorted "para ella", that is, "for her". Allegedly, the Spanish paella was cooked for the first time by a fisherman waiting for his beloved girlfriend. However, some insist that this dish was originally eaten by the servants of the Moorish kings, and its name should be translated from Arabic as "leftovers".
In total, there are about three hundred varieties of paella in Spain, and recipes may vary depending on the region.