Ditto's Paella Valenciana and Negra, an heirloom dish handed down to three generations

Paella is a Spanish rice dish from the region of Valencia. The word was derived from the Old French word "paelle" which means "pan." In Spain, it comes in various types such as the Valencian, vegetarian, seafood and mixed paella.

Being a colony of Spain for 377 years, the Philippines had adopt a lot of Spanish traditions and culture including their food. One of that is the Paella which is enjoyed by Filipinos in many different ways and is considered as a high-class dish. There are also a lot of dishes that were inspired by the Paella, one of that is the "biringhe" of the Kapampangans.

If you are a foodie, you should realize that through the years, a lot of variations has been made by chefs and cooks - experienced or not - with the original Paella. They do this to suit and satisfy the different requirements of each customer's palates. But really, nothing beats the taste of the authentic one.

Speaking of authentic, Ditto's Paella Valenciana and Negra is one of the very few offering authentic Spanish Paella. The Paella is traditionally cooked, with no shortcuts; over a glowing hot charcoal fire. Ditto's recipe is a pride of their family that was handed down to three generations.

According to Ditto Lesaca, the owner; the paella recipe came from his maternal grandfather, the late Alfredo Guidote. Sir Alfredo passed the recipe to his daughter, Carmen ‘Mita’ Guidote Lesaca (Ditto's mother). One day, after years of eating the paella cooked by his Lolo Freddy and eventually his mother, it dawned to Ditto that his mother is going to pass away one day. Ditto didn’t want the recipe to disappear, so he decided he had to learn Lolo Freddy’s paella. But unlike what his Lolo and mother did, Ditto wanted their Paella available for sale to the public. To distinguish his paella from all the others in the market, he gives his potential patrons excellent value for their money by overloading his Paella with much more of all the condiments that everybody wishes there was more of in commercial restaurant-made paella. With Ditto's Paella Valenciana, you will not even see the rice until you break through all the tiger prawns, chicken, squid, clams and chorizo.

Ditto buys ingredients fresh from the market on the same day they’re cooked that is why you can always be sure of a high-quality Paella. The generous serving of his Paella does not only fill your stomach but your hearts and soul as well.

Visit Ditto's Paella Valenciana and Negra on FB for more info and inquiries...