Fideua

Another iconic dish from Valencia. It's like paella but instead of rice you use noodles. Fideua is always served with alioli, a garlic mayonnaise.

For alioli, process finely chopped garlic, lemon juice and egg yolks in a food processor until smooth. With motor running, add 1 1/2 cups (375ml) light olive oil, a few drops at a time, then in a slow, thin steady stream until mixture is thick and creamy.

A Short History of Fideua

Fideua was invented in the Valencian town of Gandia in the 1960s. According to the apocryphal story, a man invited friends over one day for a traditional paella but he forgot to buy rice. His friends were just about to draw and quarter* him which was the punishment at that time for forgetting to have rice when you made a paella. Just as they were tying the horses to his hands and feet the man asked if he could make the dish with noodles instead of rice. His friends were hungry so they said, “Hell with it, let’s try it. We can draw and quarter him later if we don’t like this new dish.” And fideua was born.

* pull (a person) apart with four horses tied to his extremities, so as to execute him