Jamie Oliver Paella: Chef Causes Twitter Storm with Chorizo Addition

From experience, we can safely say that paella is one of those dishes that arouses vehement feelings, and understandably so – it's a dish steeped in tradition and heritage. When, previously, we published a recipe that called for the use of chorizo in paella, it was highly controversial. The dish, which is said to originate from Valencia, traditionally does not contain chorizo, but chicken, seafood and even snails.

So, Jamie Oliver, we know how you feel.

The affable British chef has whipped up clouds of discontent (not the light fluffy kind with delicate peaks) on social media after tweeting a picture of a deep and colourful pot of ‘paella’ with the caption: “Good Spanish food doesn't get much better than paella. My version combines chicken thighs & chorizo.”

Good Spanish food doesn’t get much better than paella. My version combines chicken thighs & chorizo https://t.co/2cXK4xoTfS #recipeoftheday pic.twitter.com/DD0HXY98pM

— Jamie Oliver (@jamieoliver) October 4, 2016

And then the proverbial really hit the proverbial.

As the BBC reports, the response, as always with these things, was swift, brutal and offered no quarter. You can see some of the responses below. The measured verdicts ranged from “an abomination” to “we don’t negotiate with terrorists.” Essentially, Oliver was told to stick his paella somewhere resolutely not ‘pucker.’