Arroz del Senyoret: How a Craving Became a Gastronomic Legend

The world of gastronomy is full of anecdotes that have reshaped the way we view certain dishes, adding depth to an already rich universe, and never more so than in this case.

Barcelona, specifically in 1902, was where one of these anecdotes took place that would shape the future of one of Spain's most well-known and widespread recipes: arroz del senyoret or arroz parellada.

It is these stories that give life to cooking, allowing it to evolve in ways we never thought possible and inspiring new generations to understand the greatness of our gastronomic heritage.

That’s why at Montsià, we want to share with you the curiosities that have been cooked up over time and let you discover the little condiments that will make you enjoy food even more.

The origin of this dish, as Barcelonian as the Cathedral of the Sea or Els Quatre Gats, dates back more than 100 years to the old Café Suís on Rambla del Centre 31. Arroz or paella parellada, better known in Catalan as arròs a la gandula, arròs de cec, or arròs a la mandra, is a whimsical dish that was named by Juli Maria Parellada.

A lawyer by profession, and a dandy by all accounts, Juli was a discerning diner who loved good food and always had a table reserved in his name at the aforementioned restaurant. He knew the menu from start to finish as a regular customer, but one day, the succulent dishes no longer seemed appealing to him since he had tasted them all a thousand times before, and he decided to make an unusual request.

When the waiter took his order, Jaume Carabellido, he heard something unprecedented: Juli asked for an arroz parellada, specifically one that, according to him, had “no bones or thorns.” The employee, as a frequent and respected guest, passed the order to the kitchen, and they decided to satisfy the gentleman's craving.

The chef prepared an arroz with no “elements that might disturb” Juli. He removed the shells from the seafood, cleaned the fish bones, deboned the meat, and removed the mollusk valves.

The dish delighted Parellada, and from that moment on, he began to request it regularly. Of course, the name wasn’t changed, and it became a popular dish not only at Café Suís but also in other nearby restaurants like the iconic Set Portes. While some restaurants kept the name arroz parellada, others called it “paella for connoisseurs” or “rice without obstacles.” In other areas like the Delta de l’Ebre and Castellón, it’s called “arròs del senyoret” because of the absence of shells and bones.

This is how Parellada left his mark on the gastronomy of Barcelona and became an icon of good taste.

Arroz parellada doesn’t differ much in preparation from other typical Spanish rice dishes, as it can be made dry, soupy, and with more or fewer ingredients. The main characteristic is that the ingredients should be “easy to eat.”

It typically includes chicken breast, sausage, pork loin, cuttlefish, prawns, scampi, mussels, peas, pepper, tomato, garlic, salt, pepper, saffron, paprika, fish stock, onion, and olive oil.

All of this should be perfectly chopped, deboned, peeled, and without bones so that the diner can enjoy the dish without any hindrance.