Spanish short grained rice is the foundation of paella, so why not use the best? This exceptional rice has been used for paellas for centuries, producing individual al dente grains, swollen with delicious paella flavor.
This paella rice is grown in the village of Calasparra, in the mountains of the Spanish province of Murcia. It is grown in paddies fed by pure mountain water, unlike the typical rice fields by the Mediterranean Sea.
This cool mountain water causes Calasparra rice to have a leisurely maturing process - 30% slower than other kinds of rice. This longer growing cycle produces kernels that are exceptionally dry and ready to absorb the flavors of paella broth and other Mediterranean recipes.
The problem you run into with substitutes is that the other short-grained strains of rice are designed with other applications in mind: Arborio is meant to become creamy when cooked; Asian rice is meant to be sticky; Basmati is light, aromatic and fragile; and long grain rice (such as Uncle Ben's) is a completely different product with lower absorbency.
The aqueducts delivering water from the mountain streams were first engineered by the Romans, and then improved upon by the Moors over 1,000 years ago!
Calasparra rice is grown in the D.O. Calasparra region and is totally free of all pesticides, herbicides, etc. No chemicals of any kind are added during processing.
