Tapas are loved by every one, who likes to travel in Spain.
There are Tapas but also pintxos.
Pinxtos are a also a sort of appetizers, but famous in the land of the Basque.
Tapas are a large variety of small dishes. They are often served as a snack with drinks.
In Spain it is a national sport to go from bar to bar and eat the tapas.
We have noticed that Spanish people go to the bar to meet their friends, to talk, to laugh and to enjoy . So you can see that the the tapas are a part of the social culture of this land.
So we invited every tourist to take part of this happening. Watch, eat and enjoy the beating heart of the busy life in the town.
It is very informal. The most people are standing at the bar or at little tables. Often you can also see wine barrels table.
The bars are very noisy, and that is a good sing . It means that the locals are eating their tapa and that they are very good.
The traditional cured ham is hanging after the bar.
In Spain this little delights are eaten in nearly every bar, any time, day or night .
In every town, large or small you can find a every bar in Spain.
When there are many little papers on the ground. And its full of locals than you can be sure it’s a good bar.
Every bar has his own specialty. One thing you can be sure of: tapas are made from traditional ingredients. Like garlic, olive oil, olives, fish, pork or seafood.
What are Tapas ?
The word “tapa” can be translated as “cover”.
Originally this little snack covered the top of a glass of wine and were free. In some restaurants or bars you still get free.
Other say that it was the custom long ago, that the farmers and manual working people eat small snacks. For the reason that they could work that all day until the meals.
Others say that it begun in bars of Andalusia.
Now a day, there is such a great choice of this appetizers. Some menus are filled with the different little plates.
Sometimes these are only little dishes, but if you put them together you can take them as great meal.
When it’s a little portions they are called “tapas”, when it’s a larger portions they are called “Racions “.
In the Basque country, this little plates are called “Pintxos”, sometimes you can see this word in other Spanish regions.
Some cities have a “Tapas route”, a discovery trip to find the best bars.
Prices are between 2 euro and 3 euro.
The Best Tapas
The base is a peace of bread with a small plate. In the origins it was the left over from the meals. Then where served small plates with olives, local cheese or ham.
In some parts of the southern regions, they still use the plate as a protector the keep away the dust and the insects from the drinks. So they kept the exact meaning of the word tapa.
Before ordering tapas, check if they serve tapas or raciones . Raciones are larger plates of tapas.
Some bars are only serving the tapas at the bar. Other serve it at tables or outside.
We always order some tapas, but never all at once. We look at the other local people and try the tapas who are looking good. If we like it , we can order more.
We do like:
Jamon : Ham of the region, like there is Serrano ham or Iberico ham .
Queso : Cheese, often of the region .Like there is the delicious Manchego cheese.
Chorizo : Spanish spicy sausage.
Tortilla Espanola : a Spanish omelette with as ingredients eggs , onions and potatoes.
Croquetas de Jamon : fried small croquettes of ham.
Calamares a la romana : fried squid rings served with aioli or lemon.
Patatas Bravas: potatoes with a sauce of Tabasco.
Mejillones : Stuffed mussels with a vinaigrette .
Montadidos : little sandwiches
Albondigas: a sort of meatballs in tomato sauce
Pulpo: Octopus served with olive oil and Spanish paprika.
Boquerones : Fresh fried anchovies or marinated in a sauce of vinegar, oil and garlic.
Morcilla : Blood sausage.
Praws
Bacalao : salt cod.
Dried or salt Tuna.
Buen Provecho ! Enjoy your meal.