Tapas are essentially snacks but are often combined to make up a full meal. In some areas of Spain, mainly in Andalusia, they are often included in the price of drinks (beer, wine, not soft drinks or spirits) served in bars. In this case, they can amount to as little as a few olives, a piece of cheese, or something more substantial like a pork stew. However this is not generalised outside these areas.

In Andalusia, tapas can be "upgraded" to bigger portions, equivalent to half a dish (media ración) or a whole one (ración). This is generally more economical when a tapa is being ordered by more than one person. The portions are usually shared by diners, and a meal made up of raciones resembles a Middle Eastern mezze or Chinese dim sum.

Spaniards usually have dinner sometime between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., and often go "bar hopping" (Spanish: Ir de tapas) and eating tapas in the time between finishing work and having a full meal or as a social activity instead of dining at home.

Tapa means "cover" in Spanish. There are several explanations for the etymology of "tapa":

• A commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies; at some point it became a habit to top this "cover" with a snack.

• Some experts believe that the name originated sometime round the 16th century, when tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese can help disguise that of bad wine, thus "covering" it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine.

In the Philippines, this “cover” evolved to become a thin strip of beef which is nowadays eaten, along with rice, as a full meal, usually for breakfast.

In the northern Spanish city of León, in Asturias, and in parts of Andalusia, when you go to a bar and order a drink, you get a tapa for free. This happens mostly in the province of Jaén, Granada and Córdoba but it is not very common in the rest of Andalusia, where you generally have to pay for both the drink and the tapa. Sometimes, especially in Northern Spain, they are also called pinchos (often spelled pintxos in the Basque Country), because many of them have a pincho, or toothpick through them. This is used to keep whatever the snack is made of from falling off the bread it has been attached to. Another name for them is banderillas (diminutive of bandera "flag"), in part because some of them resemble the colorful skewers used in bullfighting.

It is very common for a bar or a small local restaurant to have 6-8 different kinds of tapas in warming trays with glass partitions covering the food. They are often very strongly flavored with garlic, chillis or paprika, and sometimes swimming in olive oil. Often one or more of the choices is seafood or mariscos, often including anchovies, sardines or mackerel in olive oil or squid or others in a tomato based sauce, sometimes with the addition of red or green peppers or other seasoning. It is rare to see a tapas selection not include one or more types of olives, such as manzanilla or arbequina olives. One or more types of bread are usually available to eat with any of the sauce-based tapas.

Upscale tapas restaurants are common in the United States and the United Kingdom, where a series of tapas are typically served as a main course.

Not to be confused with 'montaditos', a type of sandwich made of small traditional breadpieces and varied filling, hot or cold. It is sometimes served as an open top sandwich using sliced french bread.

Common tapas include:

Alioli

Meaning "Garlic and oil" in Catalan (the classic ingredients are only garlic, oil and salt, but the common form of it is Mayonnaise and garlic) a very strong garlic paste. Served on bread or with potatoes, fish, meat or grilled vegetables.

Carne mechada

Larded pork meat slices

Cazón en Adobo

Deep fat fried marinated dogfish goujons.

Chocos fritos

Fried battered squid

Chorizo al vino

Chorizo sausage slowly cooked in wine.

Ensaladilla

Mixed boiled vegetables with tuna, olives and mayonnaise.

Gambas

Prawns sauteed in salsa negra (peppercorn sauce) or ''al ajillo' (with garlic).

Pincho Moruno

A spicy kebab-like stick, made of pork or chicken meat. Its name means Moorish Stick.

Papas Bravas

A dish similar to Bombay Potatoes, served with chili tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

Puntillitas

Battered and fried baby squid.

Queso con anchoas

Castilla or Manchego cured cheese with anchovies on top.

Rajo

Pork meat seasoned with garlic and parsley. A variety with added paprika is called Zorza.

Solomillo al Güisqui

Fried pork scalops, marinated using whisky, brandy or white wine and olive oil, generally served with chunky chips.

Solomillo a la Castellana

Fried pork scalops, served with an onion and/or Cabrales cheese sauce

Tortilla de patata

A type of omelette containing fried chunks of potatoes and sometimes onion. A variety containing vegetables an chorizo (similar to fritatta) is known as Tortilla paisana.

Tortillitas de camarones

Battered-prawn fritters

External links

• Authentic Tapas Recipes
• Make your own tapas
• Spanish Tapas Recipes History Board
• More Tapas Recipes
• Tapas Tips
• All about tapas - the flavour-filled 'little dishes' of Spain

Snack foods | Andalusian cuisine | Spanish cuisine

Tapa (Speise) | Tapa | Pintxo | Tapas | טאפס | Tapas