Jamie Oliver’s paella twist sends Spain into a tizz

It doesn’t take much to finger open the loose threads that unite Spain. The country can be divided on all manner of topics, from football to politics, through to bullfighting and the correct way to drink sangría…

But woe betide anybody who dares mess with the nation’s signature dish, paella. Yes, even super celebrity chef and all-round cheeky chappie, Jamie Oliver. The TV star recently did the unthinkable – he united Spain almost as one. And how did the self-proclaimed Naked Chef do it? Well, he simply added a little bit of chorizo to a paella.

Sounds harmless, right? Well, that only serves to miss the point. Adding chorizo to all manner of Spanish rice dishes is something Spaniards have been doing for centuries. They like it. They embrace the flavour contrasts created by the smooth, soft rice and the sharper, paprika-spiced sausage.

What they object to, almost to a man, is calling a ‘paella’ a ‘paella’ when it has sausage in it. Basically, a paella is no longer worthy of the name when tainted with a bit of a banger, and Spain let Oliver know as much on Twitter over the weekend following the chef’s ill-advised tweet: “Good Spanish food doesn’t get much better than paella. My version combines chicken thighs & chorizo.”

Spanish Twitter users soon took the much-travelled chef to task, claiming that the dish’s ingredients should not be tampered with. Others took a more humorous stance, with one comparing Oliver’s paella abomination to the infamously botched restoration of a fresco of Jesus Christ carried out in Spain in 2012.

Others, meanwhile, attempted to turn the tables, suggesting Oliver make “fish and chips using aubergines, duck, beef and ravioli”, while one irate Spaniard tweeted: “Remove the chorizo. We don’t negotiate with terrorists.” Charming.

So what had Oliver done wrong? The classic paella originated in the Valencia region and is a seasonal dish that can include meat (often rabbit), fish, shellfish, vegetables and beans. For many, the inclusion of chorizo means it can no longer be classed as paella, and should instead fall under a much broader category of “rice and stuff” – which is a rather unappealing name for a dish that actually sounds quite delicious.

Spaniards are rightly proud of their cuisine, and especially tetchy when an Inglés, in particular (remember, the perception of English cuisine across many parts of the continent is still stuck in the boiled-veg dark ages of yore), tampers with tradition.

But take note, Spanish politicians – if you want to unite your wonderfully diverse country, you have to identify a cause that ALL Spaniards can get behind.