They say that Paella is the national dish of Spain. The word Paella is derived from the Old French, paelle, which means pan. The history of the dish goes back to the Moorish influence in Spain. During the 15th century rice became a staple and the people of the Valencia region would make casseroles with rice and fish. After that, they would combine the rice with beans, vegetables and dried cod. Today many other ingredients are added to Paella, such as chicken, seafood, chorizo sausages or just vegetables. The one that I am making has all of these ingredients. The Spaniards cook paella in paella pans which are very large shallow round pans. I don’t have one so I just used a large skillet which is fine too. The key ingredient that goes into Paella is Saffron. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. It comes from the stamens of the Crocus plant. 1lb. of Saffron requires the harvest of 50,000–75,000 flowers and about 40 hours of labor are required to pick 150,000 flowers. In the United States, the prices of wholesale to retail rates range from $500 to $5,000 per pound! A much less expensive alternative to use would be Turmeric. When using both spices, especially Turmeric, be very careful as it will stain your clothes and you will have a very difficult time getting the stain out. I have always wanted to make Paella as I love Spanish cuisine. The recipes that I have seen for it always seemed quite difficult but I figured that I could make one that is very easy. So I came up with this recipe that is The Best Easy Paella which is absolutely delicious. To see how I made it, keep reading.