I’ve noticed, in my Internet travels, something interesting about the food cultures of the Mediter-ranean. Almost every region bordering the big sea has it’s own signature version of a rice dish that’s unique to each. Pilaf, by any other name…
Traditional Seafood Paella: But you can also make an equally authentic
‘upland’ version with chicken, goat, lamb and/or small game…
The notion has been simmering in the back of my mind for some time. And it finally came to the boil this past weekend, when I was looking for new rice dishes to try.
A whole menu
There are enough different iterations of rice-simmered-in-broth-with-seafood or other additions to fill out a whole menu. As I will demonstrate, forthwith…
- French Rice Pilaf
- Italian Risotto
- Greek Lemon Rice Chicken
- Turkish Rice Pilaf
- Lebanese Rice (with vermicelli)
- ‘Persian’ Yellow Rice
- East African Pilau
- East African Joloff Rice
- North African Harissa Pilaf
- Moroccan Rice Pilaf
- Spanish Paella
- Spanish Saffron Rice
And those are just the main variations. All of which adhere, in both preparation and underlying traditions, to the same basic principles.
Get involved!
All you need is a frying pan, sauté pan or low-sided sauce pan. No need to go out and invest in a dedicated paella pan. Though I’ve found many other great applications for mine over years of experimentation.
And remember, these are leave-to-simmer and (almost) forget dishes. The basic technique could hardly be simpler or easier!
Go ahead and Google any of the above dishes and you’ll find dozens – in some cases, hundreds – of versions for your consideration.
Rice tips
One specific ingredient all the above have in common is short grain rice. You can use long grain rice, but it just doesn’t produce the same luscious result.
Protein pointers
You’ll also notice that chicken plays a central role in many of the dishes we’re spotlighting today. That’s largely because chickens are found all over the world, and are an integral part of most traditional regional cuisines.
You can, of course, substitute the poultry of your choice. But most of the traditional flavours don’t team well with stronger meats like beef, lamb or goat – unless specifically mentioned in the recipes. Pork is popular in some cultures. But taboo in others. And the authentic flavours of each region reflect their particular leanings.
Fresh is always best
Of course. But even more so with rice dishes. Rice tends to soften, or attenuate strong flavours of like spices, chili peppers, garlic or veggies prized for their characteristic earthy, fruity or floral flavours and aromas. Spend a little more for fresh, and savour the authentic experiences offered by these ancient and venerable rice dishes!
My take
We’ve focused today on the various, closely related simmered-rice traditions bordering the Med. But I could have broadened the scope of this post. There isn’t a single continent (and darned few countries) that don’t boast their own pilaf- or paella-inspired dishes. The Asian and New World variants are both numerous enough to rate a post of their own.
… Which I’ll tackle on future days!
~ Maggie J.