International Paella Day

SPANISH PAELLA DAY was celebrated worldwide on Monday, March 27. There are uncountable variations of paella so that everyone can discover their own favourite paella recipe on Spanish Paella Day.

Considered by many to be the national dish of Spain, paella originated, as many traditional dishes do, as ‘peasant’ food ­ a lunchtime rice dish prepared by workers in the field over an open fire.

The bigger the pan one uses, the more friends and family can be invited to eat paella on Spanish Paella Day.

The basis for a traditional paella is rice. Saffron gives the paella its typical yellowish colour. Apart from rice and saffron, anything that the chef feels comfortable with can be added. Very popular are chicken and fish but also diverse vegetables like beans, peas or carrots make the perfect paella.

The world’s largest paella served 110 000 people and needed the army’s support in order to distribute the food!

Eighty chefs were involved in the cook which took from 9am till 1pm. The pan weighed 32 tonnes.

New Imserso season

A NEW season of Imserso trips for pensioners has been approved by Spain’s Council of Ministers. As a result, there will be an increase of 70,000 places compared to 2022, with a total of 900,000 being offered.

The destinations on offer will cover 52 provinces. The variety will be expanded in the provinces of Albacete, Almería, Ávila, Cáceres, Castellon, Girona, Lleida, Tenerife and Toledo. There will also be 19 new nature routes, including the Sierra Nevada and the natural park of Las Medulas,

In addition, more than 1,000 places will be reserved for itineraries with literary, musical, theatrical or gastronomic cultural themes in areas of special cultural interest in Spain.

It is unknown whether the rates will rise for next year, although 78 per cent of each trip is covered by each beneficiary and 22 per cent by the General State Administration.