What's actually in a traditional paella
"Is this even real paella?" is a genuine, ongoing debate in Spain, not settled trivia. Here's what Spanish food sources say belongs in it, what doesn't, and why the argument keeps coming back.
The traditional list
Spanish food sources converge on a core ingredient list for paella valenciana: rice (Bomba, Sénia, or a similar short-grain variety), water, olive oil, salt, saffron, tomato, flat green beans (ferraura/bajoqueta), and garrafón — a broad, lima-type bean — with chicken and rabbit as the traditional proteins, not seafood. Commonly cited optional additions include snails, duck, garlic, sweet paprika, rosemary, artichoke and red pepper.
What's disputed
Ingredients repeatedly flagged by Spanish food sources as non-traditional or disputed: peas, onion, chorizo, carrots, mixing meat with seafood, beef, pre-made stock, food colouring used instead of real saffron, and long-grain rice — the same short-grain varieties named above, not a coincidence, since long-grain rice behaves differently in the pan (our rice guide covers why). None of this means every variation on the dish is "wrong" — regional variations are common and long-standing, and paella began as a farm-labourer dish made with whatever was to hand. It is, however, the answer most Spanish food writers give when asked what "traditional" specifically means.
Why this keeps coming back up
In 2021, Valencia's regional government declared paella valenciana an "asset of intangible cultural interest," partly in response to concerns about how far commercial and mass-tourism versions of the dish had drifted from it. In 2016, UK chef Jamie Oliver posted a paella recipe that included chorizo and was widely criticised in Spanish media — the most-cited, verifiable example of how strongly this debate can run. We're describing that debate and citing it, not adjudicating it: this page doesn't have the authority to declare a winner, and doesn't try to.
The pan this guide is about
Alises Anti-Rust Steel Paella Pan, 40cm — enamelled carbon steel, works for the traditional recipe above or any variation on it.
See also: what rice actually goes in paella, how a paella pan works, and fideuà vs paella.
Sources (accessed 2026-09-04): The Local Spain, "Ten ingredients you should never add to a real Spanish paella", for the disputed-ingredients list, the 2021 cultural-interest declaration, and the 2016 chorizo controversy; Visit Valencia, "Paella Valenciana Recipe" and Spanish Sabores, "Traditional Spanish Paella Recipe", for the traditional ingredient list. Any EU protected-status claim, decree number, or specific denomination-of-origin date is left out here because it wasn't confirmed against a primary source.