Spanish Steps - Fact file - Tapas

Along with paella, tapas, roughly translated as snacks or appetisers, are Spain's major contributions to world food. The word tapas comes from the Spanish verb tapar, which means to cover. Originally una tapa was a free snack served in a small earthenware dish to be placed on top of a drink. Today, these small servings of food are eaten either before lunch or dinner, rather like an appetiser. Eating tapas also allows you to try out some mouth-watering Spanish delicacies, with a few glasses of wine or beer, without spoiling the appetite.

Traditional Spanish bars serve tapas as a matter of course. There are three basic sizes of tapas portion: un pincho, a mouthful, una tapa, about a saucerful, and una ración, a plateful large enough to share.

There are many different tapas to choose from, varying from region to region. Madrid, for example, is famed for its patatas bravas, potato in a spicy sauce, Sevilla for its bacalao con salmorejo, cod in sauce, and Cádiz does a great tortilla de camarones, shrimp omelette. But you can also try crisply fried pescaditos or boquerones, small fish, albóndigas, herb and garlic meatballs, or the good old tortilla española, potato and onion omelette.

In the Basque Country la tapa has been raised to an art form. The old quarter of San Sebastián is awash with bars selling pintxos, the Basque spelling of pinchos, usually made with fish and shellfish.

Most bars provide tapas with a glass of beer or wine, but more typically, going out for tapas implies ordering a plate of food to be shared among a few people. Tapas are eaten informally en la barra, at the bar, or en la mesa, at a table, where you can order enough raciones or tapas for a full meal.

Links

El Mundo de las Tapas

Global Gourmet - tapas recipes and information

Tapas - an online guide

Global Destinations - Spain - a food and menu guide

These links are included for educational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement by the BBC of the products or services featured.