Gandía, Spain, identified as the birthplace of traditional fideuà

The traditional dish fideuà originated in Gandía, Spain, during the early 20th century as a creative solution by a cook aboard the fishing vessel ‘Santa Isabel’. While preparing a seafood paella for the crew, the cook discovered there was no rice available on board, but there were spaghetti noodles.

To substitute the missing rice, the cook chopped the long noodles and used them in the seafood preparation. This improvised recipe was adopted by the local fishing community and eventually transitioned to restaurants in the 1950s. Today, the dish is promoted globally by the Asociación Gastronómica de la Fideuà de Gandía, which organizes an annual international competition.

According to Avelino Alfaro, the honorary president of the association, the quality of a fideuà depends on a rich fish stock (fumet) and the choice of noodle thickness to ensure the dish tastes of the sea rather than wheat.