paella

IPA/paɪˈelə/
IPA/paɪˈelə/

paella — noun

  • paellasingular
  • paellasplural

1. a rice dish from Spain, often cooked in a wide pan with shellfish, chicken, or v

1.nounC1
Definition

a rice dish from Spain, often cooked in a wide pan with shellfish, chicken, or vegetables.

Example

Maria cooked paella in a wide pan for the beach picnic.

collocation: cook paella in a wide pan

At the market in Valencia, tourists shared paella with lemon and bread.

Common collocations
  • seafood paella
  • chicken paella
  • vegetable paella
  • cook paella
  • serve paella
Synonyms
  • rice dish

    very broad category word, not specifically Spanish

  • risotto

    an Italian rice dish that is usually creamier

  • pilaf

    a seasoned rice dish with looser grains and a broader range of styles

  • jambalaya

    a Louisiana rice dish, usually spicier and from a different tradition

Grammar Patterns

make/cook/serve + paella

seafood/chicken/vegetable + paella

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when you mean the dish as a kind of food. It becomes countable when speakers mean different versions or separate servings, especially on menus.

Common Mistakes

We ate a paella at lunch.
We ate paella at lunch.
When you mean the dish in general, paella is usually uncountable.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Paella names a specific Spanish rice dish, so it is much narrower than a general word like rice dish. Risotto is Italian and is usually creamy because the rice is stirred as it cooks, while paella is spread out in a wide pan. Pilaf is a broader term for seasoned rice with separate grains, and it does not suggest the Spanish style. Jambalaya is a Louisiana rice dish with meat or seafood, but it is usually spicier and belongs to a different food tradition. Use paella when you mean this exact Spanish dish. Compare: We shared seafood paella by the beach. The cafe served mushroom risotto for lunch.

paella ↗risotto ↗pilafjambalaya ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • seafood paella
  • chicken paella
  • vegetable paella

Phrases

  • cook paella
  • serve paella
  • eat paella

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchValencianSpanishEnglish

English borrowed paella from Spanish. In Spanish, it came from Valencian paella, a word that first meant a pan. That form goes back through Old French to Latin patella, meaning a small shallow pan or dish. The name first referred to the cooking vessel, and later to the rice dish made in it.