It is the Moors we can thank for introducingrice to Valencia in the eighth century. In fact the Spanishword for rice 'arroz' derives from the Arabic word ar-ruzz. Today the marshlands bordering the Albufera is one of the principalcentres of rice production in Spain. Spanish rice is short grained,absorbing a lot of liquid when cooked, and is the basis formany classic Valencian dishes. The Valencian flair for cookinghas created the famous paella dish. This is typically meat based,usually with rabbit or chicken, sometimes snails. In coastalvillages it is common to cook a seafoodpaella, paella marinera. The paella is traditionally cookedover a wood fire using a flat shallow dish, known as a paellapan, from which the classic dish takes its name. Often it iseaten on social occasions as large paella dishes can easilyaccommodate a crowd. A delicious variant is the paellanegra (black paella), which is squid based. The squid inkgives the dish its characteristic black colour. Other rice baseddishes include arroz al horno (oven cooked rice), arroz a banda(made with fish and shellfish) and arroz caldosa (rice stew). The rice dishes are traditionally served with allioli (garlicand oil, beaten to give the consistency of mayonnaise). Rice is not the only dish cooked in the paellapan. Fideua is a type of paella, originally from Gandia, cookedwith noodles and fish stock. A popular regional tapa is stuffedsquid, calamares rellenos. The pouch-like squid body is stuffedwith tomatoes, onion, ham, and sometimes even apple. Squid canalso be eaten by cutting the body into rings, coating in breadcrumbsand deep frying, known as calamares a la romana. Let us notforget that the coastal strip in Valencia is one of the mostfertile regions in Spain, producing up to four crops a year. Since the middle ages a water tribunal has met every week atthe gates of Valencia cathedral to adjudicate on disputes overwater usage. The fresh produce on sale in the markets is superb,tomatoes, artichokes, cherries from the Vall de la Gallinera,and the finest oranges in the world. In the towns around Valencia it is commonto see bars selling a sweet drink made from tiger nut milk calledhorchata. The drink originates from the town of Alboraya, tothe north of Valencia, where the chufa (tiger nut) flourishesin the sandy soil. The tiger nuts are ground down and mixedwith lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar to create a refreshingdrink. The taste is reminiscent of almonds, and the drink isoften accompanied by sweet breadsticks called fartons - pleasedon't giggle its true! Spain is largest producer of almonds afterthe United States. In the dry area around Alicante the almondsare harvested in August and September by spreading large clothsunderneath the trees and shaking the fruit loose. These almondsare used to create a delicacy called turron, traditionally eatenat Christmas. Thought to have been introduced by the Moors,turron is made by roasting the almonds and slow cooking themwith honey and egg white. There are two main varieties, hardAlicante turron and soft Jijona turron, which is produced bygrinding the almond and honey mix into a glutinous smooth paste.