One of the first literary references to Pilaf can be found in the history of Alexander the Great to describe the hospitality received in the region of Bactrian (an Eastern Province Iran). The "pilaf" is often considered one of the oldest preparations of rice, with its roots in Persia or Turkey. Thus I would say that Pilaf could be considered a distant ancestor of the paella. The Pilaf has been adopted and modified by various cultures. Thus, in various countries are given different names: in Azeri, Uzbek and Russian plov tells ; Persian Polow polo or ; in Bosnian pilav , in Serbian or pilav pilaff ; pulav in Armenian, in Romanian: pilaf, Greek: Πιλάφι.
Even if Alexander the Great who first unveiled the rice on the European continent, were the Muslims who practiced it in Spain after the gradual conquest of their territories. The mouths of the Guadiana and Guadalquivir, and the waterlogged swamps Albufera in Valencia, were the places chosen by the Arabs to germinate the first grain of rice in Spain. Then the English took over the rice fields of the Arabs and, through their own occupations and took him to southern France and northern Italy.
The paella comes in rural areas of Valencia, between the XV and XVI, the need of farmers and herders of easy to transport food and cooked with ingredients that came to hand or just to have. Thus, in its origin, the ingredients in the paella was birds, rabbits field affordable fresh vegetables, rice, saffron and olive oil, which is mixed with water and cooked over low heat, with a fire firings made with orange industry, which gave it a flavor and aroma.
Sources: Wikipedia, arrozsos
Links:
Pilaf Recipe: Video showing Pilaf recipe. Paella Recipe
: Video on how to make authentic Valencian Paella.
