Although it originates from Valencia, paella has become the signature Spanish dish, so much so that it has been declared to be part of the nation’s patrimony. Cooked up in special dishes and often the centre-piece at village fiestas, the biggest one on record was a full 21.5 metres in diameter.

Paella comes in a multitude of forms, from the seafood paella marinera and the meat-based paella de montaña (usually made with chicken or rabbit) to the paella mixta which combines ingredients from both land and sea, hence its other name: mar y montaña.

A subject of much discussion and debate, the ingredients of paella valenciana are carefully laid out by paella competition organisers and despite Jamie Oliver’s take on t, they do not include chorizo!