Whether you are planning a visit to a nearby food joint for a perfect dining experience or wish to try your hand at cooking something exotic at home, Spanish food is the way to go. With the growing popularity of Spanish cuisine, it is only natural to come across the word tapas, with many restaurants and tapas bars dedicated to the term alone.
Rather than a specific dish, Tapas primarily refers to the style of serving food. Though, this does not imply one will not find some classic dishes unique to it. Let’s have a deep look into tapas, their origin, and more.
What Is Tapas?
To ‘Tapear’ means to go for drinks and Tapas from bar to bar, something that holds great importance in the social culture of Spain, especially in southern Spain.
Everyone visiting Spain must experience the culture at least once; however, being informal, the experience may differ. Tapas is often eaten in busy bars, standing up at the bar counter, at a small table, and even outside while enjoying the view. The atmosphere in a local tapas bar is often noisy and sociable, which adds to eating tapas. What’s more, a traditional and local tapas place is known to serve the best tapas dishes one would not want to miss.
But, like every other cuisine and dish, Tapas has unique stories attached to its origin.
The Origin Of Tapas
Several stories go back to the origin of eating small snacks with the drinks
The first belief of origin goes back to the thirteenth-century Castilian king Alfonso X (the Wise). The story says the king faced an illness due to which he had to eat small portions of food or what would be called snacks with wine in between each meal to sustain his strength.
After the king recovered, he passed the law, making it mandatory for taverns to serve small dishes or food alongside beer and wine.
The second belief is based more on practical use and facts and is considered a more plausible origin. It says that bread or small plates served with olives or ham would cover drinks to keep the insects and dust out in early times. The meaning of the word ‘tapa’ being ‘lid’ in Spanish further strengthens the argument.
Now that you know what tapas is and how it originates, let’s look at some classic tapas dishes and ways to prepare them.
