Buzz
When Spain is mentioned, Sangria, Paella, and especially the enticing assortment of Tapas come to mind immediately.
Tapas are not just a specific dish, but rather a small appetizer served with wine or beer. Their history is closely intertwined with Spain's history. Some believe they were created by King Alfonxo X, who would often enjoy small snacks with wine between meals.
Another entirely different hypothesis suggests that Tapas were snacks for farmers after long hours of hard work.
Tapas can be cold dishes like mixed cheese with olive oil, cold cuts like sausage, ham, smoked meat, or hot dishes like fried foods (fried fish, fried squid…). Ingredients for Tapas are mostly easy to find and don't require elaborate preparation like meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables. Tapas are often seasoned with various spices like garlic, chili, chili powder, salt, pepper, thyme, turmeric, and olive oil.
Initially, Tapas were just slices of bread or meat served with a little wine. Over time, and with the continuous, relentless creativity of humans, Tapas have emerged with astonishing diversity. Patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy tomato sauce), calamares fritos (fried squid), boquerones (anchovies), croquetas de jamon (ham croquettes), chorizo (pork sausage), pimientos asados (grilled peppers), albondigas (meatballs), and berenjenas gratinadas (grilled eggplant with cheese)… are some of the Tapas dishes loved by many.
Serving Tapas is also given great emphasis. Tapas dishes are often arranged on plates and placed on top of wine glasses as a reminder that you should eat Tapas before drinking.
Typically, you won't have to pay for Tapas as most of them are complimentary when you order drinks at the bar. However, there are cases when you ask '¿tienes alguna tapa?' (do you have any Tapas here?) to the server, pay attention to their response. If they nod and fetch food for you, it means you get to enjoy free Tapas. But if the server hands you a menu, it means you'll be charged for any food you choose.
When in Spain, it's not difficult to find a restaurant serving Tapas. However, to enjoy traditional Tapas without breaking the bank, you should visit street-side eateries.
Exploring Tapas cuisine not only means discovering the food but also experiencing Tapeo (the art of Tapas eating). Traditionally, Spaniards would visit a bar, have a drink with one or two Tapas dishes, then move on to another bar, and repeat the process. This kind of wandering is likened to threading beads, with each bar they visit considered a bead in the chain.
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Source: Mytour Travel Guide – Via Vnexpress
MytourJanuary 2, 2014
