History & the art of TAPAS

Tapas is the name of a wide variety of appetizers or snacks in spanish cuisine. 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.

Wine was a drink accompanying this snack, as it induced a good mood and increased strength, while in winter it warmed the body as protection against very cold days in the fields and in the workshops of the Middle Ages. In summer, the drink taken in the South was cold tomato soup, instead of wine, which increased body heat rather than providing the necessary cold refreshment.

Tapas recipes  vary according to the taste and gastronomic traditions of each region. The most often served are usually those including  the many variety of olives, dry nuts, etc. Nowadays  the tapas are considered as appetizers. In the Middle Ages and during periods of economic hardship, those courses were supplemented with bread. However, today, those courses are included in the tapas world. Tapas recipes use a wide variety of animal products, such as meat, fish and eggs and as well vegetables.

There are fried tapas and tapas prepared with sauces. Sometime in the past, the fried tapas had more success and are more in demand than the ones prepared with sauces. Whitebait, calamaries, sausages, fritters, croquets, potato belong to the world of fried tapas. Animal and agricultural-based recipes such as potato tortilla, cod fritters, croquets and escabeches, remain obligatory at this time of the day so that, if accompanied by a salad, they could perfectly replace a complete lunch.

Tapas can be eaten at lunch, dinner if the quantity of tapas is enough to satisfy the appetite. Undoubtedly, the most singular aspect of the “tapeo” (the art of eating tapas) is its ability to bring together people, gather them round the table to enjoy this informal ritual.