South of Valencia lies the Albufera: a freshwater lagoon separated from the sea by a strip of sand, surrounded by rice fields as far as the eye can see. Here, and nowhere else in Spain, rice is truly at home.

The rice fields of the Albufera at sunset, with a Valencian barraca.
The rice fields of the Albufera at sunset, with a Valencian barraca.

A grain that arrived in the 8th century

Rice reached the Iberian Peninsula with the Arabs in the 8th century. In the Albufera it found its ideal setting. Over 1200 years later, the rice fields cover some 14,000 hectares — and yield Spain's most celebrated rice.

Three varieties, one Designation of Origin

The D.O. « Arroz de Valencia» protects three varieties: Senia (the most traditional, drinks the broth), Bomba (ancient and rare — first written records from 1913 in Sueca, resists overcooking) and Albufera (the newest, creamy yet firm, the most versatile).

La Fallera: the everyday rice (since 1965)

In 1965 the Ballester brothers founded La Fallera to « offer Valencians their everyday rice». A pioneer of the D.O., the brand became a popular emblem — « el arroz preferido por los valencianos».

The Albufera at dusk: a traditional boat on the water, a haven for migratory birds.
The Albufera at dusk: a traditional boat on the water, a haven for migratory birds.

Tartana: five generations with their feet in the water

The « els Gorets» family has grown Albufera rice since the late 19th century, from a barraca in El Palmar. In 2011 they launched the Tartana brand — hand transplanting and weeding, sun-drying with the Mediterranean breeze. « Somos agricultores»: not bottlers, farmers.

From the Albufera to your table

At Orígenes we brought these three rices back by hand: La Fallera's round grain for every day, Tartana's Marisma for creamy rice, and the Albufera D.O. for a real paella. Three grains, one lagoon, twelve hundred years of history.