The battle to become the Best Paella chef in the Pacific will continue at Josef Chromy Wines on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Nine professional chefs from across Australia, including one from Tasmania, will vie for the title to secure a spot in the finals in Valencia.
International Paella Valenciana Competition director Edrick Corban-Banks said the recipe the contestants have to cook is the “authentic” paella.
“Fifty-eight years ago the recipe was set down to make sure it was exactly what it is. The authentic recipe includes chicken, rabbit, three types of beans and snails – but we can’t get those – garlic, tomatoes, paprika, saffron and rice imported from Valencia,” he said. “That’s the only dish that can be called a Valencia Paella.”
The idea for the competition was to promote the authentic recipe worldwide.
“People think that it’s a mixture of seafood and chicken all thrown together, but the idea is to be able to taste the individual ingredients in it. The flavours have to be layered,” Mr Corban-Banks said. “It is a Valenciana dish, it’s actually not a Spanish dish.”
Mr Corban-Banks will be joined by two other judges – Nick Haddow from Bruny Island Cheese and Leno Lattarulo from Melbourne’s Simply Spanish.
“[Lattarulo] won the Best Paella Outside of Spain two years ago,” Mr Corban-Banks said.
Spectators are welcome to watch the competition unfold, with cooking starting about 12pm and the winner expected to be announced at 3pm.
Some paella will be for sale at the competition.
The 2018 event is the second to be held in Tasmania.