Arròs brut
Mallorcan 'dirty rice': a brothy rice stew with rabbit, chicken or game, sobrasada, vegetables and saffron. Winter staple, eaten in a deep bowl with a spoon.
Arròs brut is Mallorca's brothy rice. Unlike paella's wide flat pan and dry-finished grains, arròs brut cooks in a deep pot and stays loose, almost soupy. The base is chicken or rabbit (sometimes pigeon or partridge in the hunting-season version), plus mushrooms, peas, green beans, sobrasada and a generous pinch of saffron that gives the broth its gold colour. The name 'dirty rice' refers to the cloudy brown-gold colour of the finished broth, not to anything actually unclean. Traditionally a winter and hunting-season dish; modern restaurants serve it year-round.
How it's served
In a deep bowl, brothy and steaming, eaten with a spoon. Usually a main course on its own; bread on the side for the broth. A staple of Mallorcan Sunday lunches and cèlleres (traditional cellar restaurants in inland Mallorca).
Regional variation
The hunting-season version uses game (rabbit, partridge, hare, pigeon) and is the more traditional. The everyday version sticks to chicken and rabbit. Coastal restaurants sometimes do a fish-and-seafood arròs brut, though purists consider the meat-and-game version the canonical one.
- Origin
- Mallorca
- Etymology
- Catalan/Mallorcan for 'dirty rice,' a reference to the cloudy colour the broth takes on.
Frequently asked
What is arròs brut?
A brothy Mallorcan rice dish, cooked in a deep pot and kept loose and soupy. Built from chicken or rabbit (sometimes game), vegetables, mushrooms, sobrasada and saffron. Eaten with a spoon from a deep bowl. The name 'dirty rice' refers to the cloudy brown-gold broth, not to anything unclean.
What's the difference between arròs brut and paella?
Format. Paella is cooked in a wide flat pan and finishes dry, with each grain separate and a toasted bottom (socarrat). Arròs brut is cooked in a deep pot and finishes soupy, eaten with a spoon. Different vessels, different textures, different meal occasions; both are rice dishes.
When is arròs brut traditionally eaten?
Winter, especially the hunting season (autumn through early spring) when game like rabbit, partridge and hare are in season. Sunday lunches at inland Mallorcan cèlleres (traditional cellar restaurants) are the canonical setting. Modern restaurants serve it year-round.
Related terms
- PaellaValencian rice dish cooked in a wide flat pan over fire. The original is chicken, rabbit, snails and beans, not seafood.
- SobrasadaMallorcan cured pork sausage that's spreadable rather than sliceable: soft, paprika-red, eaten on bread or stirred into sauces.
- Frit mallorquíMallorcan 'fry': lamb or pork offal sautéed with potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and wild fennel. A peasant dish that became a Sunday classic.
- SocarratThe crackly, caramelized layer of rice stuck to the bottom of a paella pan. The bit most diners reach for first.
- CellerCatalan and Mallorcan word for a cellar restaurant. Traditionally built in or below a wine cellar, serving regional cooking and the house's own wine.