We have had a few messages from ‘Culinary Adventurers’ asking us about Calasparra Rice, which we insist on using when we prepare our ‘le Calabash’ take on Valencian Paella.
Calasparra Rice is a unique, centuries-old short grain rice with a leisurely maturing process 30% slower than other kinds of rice. This longer growing cycle produces kernels that are exceptionally dehydrated – ready to absorb even more of the tasty sauces and flavors of paella broth and other Mediterranean recipes.
Since rice is the bedrock of paella, it is advantageous to use either of the strains of rice grown in Calasparra and not cut corners. They have been used for paellas for centuries producing individual al dente grains, swollen with as much good broth as possible.
Calasparra Rice is grown in the mountains of the Spanish province of Murcia, where it enjoys pure mountain water irrigation, unlike the usual rice fields by the Mediterranean Sea.
The aqueducts delivering water from the mountain streams were first engineered by the Romans, and then improved upon by the Moors over 1,000 years ago!
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