Is this Spain’s most authentic paella?

Is this Spain’s most authentic paella? david010167/Getty Images La Pepica still prepares its paella over an open flame, like Valencia's early farmers Today, Spain’s signature dish is served at restaurants from London to Los Angeles. Dan Convey Though paella is often associated with seafood, traditional paella valenciana is made with meat, rice, snails and beans “To ensure a paella is authentic, the ingredients must be fresh and the paella must be made to order,” explained Gustavo Sierra, chef and La Pepica’s manager. david010167/Getty Images La Pepica still prepares its paella over an open flame, like Valencia's early farmers Today, La Pepica is run by Balaguer’s grandson, Pepe, who has stayed true to the family’s time-honoured way of cooking paellas, using the exact same recipes as his grandfather and cooking them over wood-fired ovens in an open kitchen. “There are many places here serve excellent paellas, but La Pepica remains one of the most traditional and popular places to eat it,” said Carolina Miñana, a chef and teacher at the Valencian School of Rice and Paella, which is dedicated to spreading the origins and importance of the dish and teaching students the correct way of cooking it.