Sauced
Sauced
The Coaster
Paella
1 hour 22 minutes Posted Jun 25, 2026 at 9:00 am.
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Show notes

Paella isn't the rice — it's the pan. Or at least, that's where the name comes from. And in Valencia, where the dish was born, there's even a body that certifies which versions have earned the name and declares the rest "crimes against rice." Yet the seafood paella the whole world orders? The purists barely count it.

We get into the authenticity war, the official ten-ingredient list, why a whole category gets written off as "rice with stuff," the one ingredient that starts fights, and how a field worker's lunch became a prince's dish. Plus the no-stir rule behind a crispy socarrat, and the dry Sherry that goes in the pan before it goes in the glass.

For the glass, the Tonic con Cosas — a low-ABV cooler of Manzanilla Sherry, dry Spanish vermouth, citrus, and tonic, built off a Rebujito and a Bamboo and finished with a rosemary sprig.

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Thanks to all of this week's partners:

G4 Tequila: https://pkgdgroup.com/g4-tequila/

Underberg: https://underbergamerica.com/

Check out Wikipaella: https://wikipaella.org/