Short, thin noodles cooked like a paella in a wide pan, in a strong fish stock with prawns and squid, until they curl up and crisp on top.
What makes it fideuà
Short, thin fideo noodles instead of rice.
A wide paella pan and a strong seafood stock.
Noodles that curl up and crisp at the edges; allioli on the side.
Where it comes from
Gandia's story is that fideuà was first made in the early twentieth century by a cook on a fishing boat who swapped the rice for noodles — some versions say to stop the captain eating it all. It's a cheerful story, and hard to prove.
However it began, it spread along the coast and is now made across Valencia and Catalonia, served from the pan with allioli.
How it varies
Fideuà negra
Black with squid ink, like arròs negre.
Rossejat de fideus
The Catalan cousin, the noodles toasted in oil before the stock goes in.