And, what an impressive choice of recipes exist for a pleasurable paella: seafood, chicken, rabbit ... or a mixture of all three! Perhaps you are non-meat eating ... well, just opt for one of several vegetarian paella recipes. Bit of a health fanatic? Then substitute white rice for whole-grain rice or wild rice.

Got a large family and not much money to feed them on? Use plenty of rice and imagination along with a tasty stock, plus whatever you can find in cupboard! I have certainly enjoyed many paellas where there have been more bones/shells than meat/ seafood! And, very tasty they have been too, richness of company more than compensating for any paucity in ingrediants.

So ... how do you go about making perfect paella? First of all, you need to choose your rice. The short-grained rice from Valencia - where most Spanish rice originates - is fine for making paellas. However, "bomba" rice grown in neighboring region of Murcia, is "king" of paella rice: again, short-grained, it has ability to absorb stock whilst remaining firm.

Another "must" is to use saffron ("azafrán") to create gentle, yellow color for which this delectable dish is renowned. Yes, it is possible to buy cheaper, artificial colorings but ... go for traditional - it will bestow a wonderful aroma and unique flavor.

If this is case, it is more than likely that you have come across small, tasty filleted fish, preserved in olive oil, sliced garlic and chopped parsley, and highly popular throughout Spain. This delectable dish is usually known as "boquerones" but, depending on area, can also be called "anchoas".

Boquerones are small, fresh anchovies. Accompanied by crisp, fresh Spanish bread, a glass of ruby-red wine or refreshing Asturian cider, they are a delight to eat. Moreover - as with many traditional Spanish dishes which comprise renowned Mediterranean Diet - they are extremely healthy.

Like its friend sardine, anchovy is an oily fish, packed full of proteins and minerals, protecting against heart disease, and "good" for cholesterol. What´s more, in many areas of Spain - in particular Mediterranean coast - fresh anchovies are extremely cheap.

On first coming to Spain, I happily enjoyed many tapas of boquerones, completely unaware of one fact ... all those little anchovies I had eaten were not cooked! For a moment, I deeply regretted asking my Spanish neighbor, Carmen, how to make them!

Fortunately, Carmen went into immediate action and saved day! She frog-marched me to local fishmongers, bought a kilo of little fish, took me home and showed me "her way" of preparing them. They were so delicious that I quickly recovered my passion for boquerones and have been enjoying them ever since!

Methods for preparing boquerones tend to vary slightly from family to family. However, basic principles are always same. You first have to clean and fillet fish, which is simple enough, but rather tedious until you get hang of it.