Beginners guide to tapas

We are going to assume you have heard the word tapas; you have some abstract idea of what it may be. However, you are still a bit scared to enter to a Spanish bar and shout to the owner ponme unas tapas! (Bring me some tapas!). What if I don’t like it? How big are the portions? What on earth is a boquerón?

Here at Taste of Sundays we want to make it easier for you. You just have to read our explanations very carefully; the next time you travel to Spain you will definitely master the art of tapeo (going for tapas), we promise.

So, what is a tapa?

If you ask us, the tapas are the best invention since bread.
In a country when dinner can happen rather late (by European standards), say 9 or 10 pm, tapas have historically kept the Spanish people from starving. We just made that up, but you get the point.

Technically, tapas are tiny plates of food served to accompany drinks. It does not even really matter what ingredients you have in the actual tapa, as long as it comes on a small plate (and you eat it in a bar).

If a toothpick is used to keep everything in place, then we call them banderillas or pintxos. Pintxos are the typical tapas from the Basque Country, unlike banderillas, the base of the pintxos is usually a slice of bread upon which almost any ingredient can be placed.

Ok, but I still don’t know what to order

Every bar and every region has its own set of specialities; THE tapa does not really exist. Tapas can vary from toasted almonds to a mini meal itself, such as callos (pork tripe stew); the possibilities are endless.

It will take forever to make a full list of all the tapas (and we are getting hungry), so lets just mention our favourite ones, which are kind of universal and can be found in almost every tapas bar around Spain.

• Aceitunas or olivas: olives
• Patatas bravas: fried potatoes with spicy sauce
• Queso manchego: cured Spanish cheese
• Chorizo a la sidra: chorizo sausage cooked in cider
• Pulpo a la gallega: boiled octopus seasoned with olive oil paprika powder
• Pimientos de Padrón: small green pepers fried in olive oil
• Calamares a la romana: rings of battered and fried squid
• Boquerones: fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar and seasoned with garlic and parsley
• Gambas al ajillo: fried prawns with garlic
• Salpicón de marisco /pulpo en vinagre: octopus maritaned in vinegar with chopped paprika, tomato and onions.
• Conejo en salmorejo: rabbit stew

What about drinks?

The best drinks to accompany tapas are wine, dry cherry or beer.
If you want something less strong try a sandy or clara (beer with lemonade) or a tinto de verano (cold red wine with soda).  And if you are not into alcohol at all, you can order a cerveza sin alcohol (alcohol free beer) or mosto (grape juice).

When can I have a tapa?

Well, anytime really. You don’t even need to be hungry; tapas are just a perfect excuse to go out with friends/family and socialize over a glass of wine or a beer.

They can be eaten before lunch or dinner and are basically meant to keep you alive until the next meal. You are likely to have one or two drinks and order a couple of tapas or algo para picar (something to nibble), of course depending on how hungry you are and how late your lunch/dinner is going to be.

It is also really common to have them when you go out with your friends, regardless of if you have had dinner or not. The basic idea is to jump from bar to bar getting a drink and a tapa from each place. Tapas are the perfect trick for not getting too drunk on your bar-hopping nights.

A less traditional way to eat tapas, is to have them for lunch or dinner. It is common on Catalonia or Valencia for instance. In this case you will probably sit in a bar with your friends/family, get a bottle of wine and keep ordering tapas until you are all full and happy. Sometimes tourists are worried that just going for tapas wont be enough to still their hunger, but trust us; sometimes you need help to roll out from the bar after a good set of tapas.

Are they free?

More often than not you have to pay for tapas, however in some cities such as Granada o Leon, the tapas are free and you receive them when you buy a drink, which is kind of cool.

If you pay for the tapas, you usually get to choose what do you want. It tapas are free you most likely get a random tapa from whatever they have on the list. If you order several rounds of drinks, you probably get a different tapa every the time (if you are lucky).

If you are eating pintxos, you will usually pay according to the amount of toothpicks found in your plate by the end of the meal. We know they may taste good, but for your own safety don’t try to eat them just because you want to save some money.

Great, anything else I need to know?

Tapas are meant to be shared with friends or family (or strangers, why not), in that way you get to try many different dishes in one night.

If you want a bigger portion, you should ask for a ración (portion) or a plato (plate) instead of a tapa. That should have the double amount of food than a normal tapa; yet sizes can vary very much from place to place so we cannot really say how big the portion is going to be. Surprise, surprise! Anyhow, it's normal to order bigger portions when eating with more people.

Tapas are typically eaten in a bar. It is not something you cook at home, unless you are having a party or something like that. Everybody is welcome into a tapas bar, children and grandparents included.