If you have come this far it is because you know the Concurso Internacional de Paella Valenciana de Sueca, but you probably do not know how it started or since when it has been held. Its origins date back to 1961 in “Fiesta del Arroz” due to the tourist “boom” and gastronomic contests. At this time Sueca was celebrating the 600th anniversary of the “Troballa de la Mare de Déu” and taking advantage of the occasion, the then mayor of Sueca, Francisco Segarra Fabiá, wanted to create a festivity dedicated to rice. This is how the “rice festival” was born and as could not be otherwise, it began with a national Valencian paella contest. The festival began to gain importance and in just 5 years it was classified as a tourist attraction. More and more people joined, to the point of being 1,600 diners in 1974.

In 1987 the “Club de Jefes de Cocina de la Comunidad Valenciana”, the “Asociación de Cocineros y Reposteros de Valencia” and the “Federación de Cocineros y Reposteros de España” worked in the organization.

In 1990 we found another important turning point, as participation extends to Europe, America and Japan, opening the doors of the contest to the international level. Once the foreign participation was consolidated, the official recipe of the Valencian paella of Sueca was certified as the original one and it was declared “Fiesta de interés turístico Nacional”.