Sundays are usually typical to gather the family and eat rice or paella all together. This tradition is one of the most used for many decades and one of the most loved by the Spanish. If you want to know more about this widely used tradition, stay in this post and find out.
Why do you eat rice on Sundays? History and Tradition
Formerly in almost all families there were family members who were dedicated to collecting throughout the week. They were working all day and did not have time to cook a good meal. Since Sundays are usually the day of rest, they took the opportunity to make good meals and the one they made the most was the famous paella.
This, together with the fact that it is easy to serve to numerous diners, has made it easy for it to become a tradition and for rice to be an element of union between all members of a family.
The tradition is to make the rice for the whole family and for everyone to sit around a table to enjoy the rice. It has always been cooked at home but for some time now, this dish can be enjoyed both at home and in a restaurant. Or combine the two and order a paella to eat at home.
The kitchen is the meeting point for the whole family to prepare a paella. Each member of the family has a role in the kitchen: some chop, others prepare the food, others prepare the table and the tapas from before…
According to the experts, it is better to serve the paella a little later than usual and with little prior tapas. This is used for the rice to rest and the grain to be well done (it’s the best it is) and thus people become more hungry by the time the food arrives.
As we know, paella is a unique dish with a unique recipe (chicken, rabbit, garrofó…) but we always know someone who wants to improvise. He dares to build dishes with impossible to justify ingredients such as peppers, fish, shellfish and even chorizo
In this type of dishes, freedom of expression or creativity is not valid. These types of dishes in the Valencian Community area are considered unique and with only one possible recipe. Although there are always more types of rice.