Tastes of Spain... and More!

La Tapa so as to be meaningful, has to be eaten between main meals as food that allows the body to survive until lunch or dinnertime.

Some authors assert that the tapa was born when, due to an illness, the Spanish king Alfonso the 10th, the Wise, had to take small bites of food with some wine between meals. Once recovered from the disease, the wise king decreed that no wine was to be served in any of the inns in the land of Castile , unless accompanied by something to eat. This was a wise precaution to counteract the adverse effects of alcohol on those people who, through lack of money to buy a nourishing meal, drank alcohol on an empty stomach.

Apart from the story of the royal disease we should consider the theory that the tapa first appeared because of the need of farmers and workers of other unions to take a small amount of food during their working time, which allowed them to carry on working until time for the main meal. This main meal, rich in fat, was so heavy to digest that a “siesta” had to be taken for a couple of hours before going back to the fields or to the workshop. Longer working hours in the morning meant an easier workload after the meal.

Tapas recipes vary according to the taste and gastronomic traditions of each region. But the tapas most often served are usually those including  the many variety of olives, dry nuts, as well as many kinds of cold cuts. Nowadays, the tapa includes many other recipes for appetizers.
 

The many varieties of olives - green, Manzanilla, machacadas (crushed), gordales (big), rellenas (stuffed), aliñadas (flavored) or deshuesadas (stoneless) - are in themselves the subject of a book. Together with the olives, slices of garlic or smoked-ham sausages, slices of cheese or jamón curado, became famous worldwide.
 

Among others, there are fried tapas and tapas prepared with sauces. “Boquerones” (whitebait), calamaries, sausages, fritters, croquets, potato and “torreznos”, belong to the world of fried tapas. Casserole stews as well as the Madrilenian “callos”, the Almagro's aubergines or flavored string beans belong to the tapas prepared with sauces.

Tapas can be eaten at dinner if the quantity or variety of tapas is enough to satisfy the appetite. But without any doubt, the most singular aspect of the “tapeo” (the art of eating tapas) is its ability to bring together people from all walks of life who gather round the table to enjoy this informal ritual together.