The Art of Tapas

El arte de las tapas

Words: Angela Perth

One of the charms of Spain is the culture of tapas. Tapas originated in the southern province of Andalusia. The word tapa means “to top” and the tradition started accidentally when vendors used a piece of bread to cover the customer’s drinks, so that flying insects wouldn’t drown in the wine. Customers were eating the bread and vendors began to top it with thin slices of ham or cheese to make it more palatable for the customers, who were also drinking more with a little bits of salty food. As time went on other food items were added and the Spanish tapa was born. It became part of the culture to have a bite of this or that with every glass of wine, sherry or beer out in the bars and restaurants. Today there are tapas zones and tapas bars in every village, town and city throughout Spain. However small the area might be, you will see signs for tapas bar along the streets and promenades.

There are different categories of tapas, from simple to more complex.

The simplest include olives, cheese, sausages, ham, marinated vegetables and other items that don’t require cooking. Grilled tapas may include vegetables, seafood or meats. Artichokes appear in various forms, from fried to boiled to grilled. Potatoes are roasted and drizzled

Unode los encantos de España es su costumbre del tapeo. Las tapas tuvieron su origen en las provincias del sur de Andalucía. La palabra tapa significa “tapadera” y su tradición empezó por casualidad cuando los vendedores usaban un trozo de pan para cubrir las bebidas de sus clientes, para que no cayeran insectos al vino. Los clientes se comían el pan y los vendedores empezaron a ponerle finas lonchas de jamón o queso para hacerlo más apetitoso para sus clientes, los cuales comiendo algo salado incluso bebían más. Con el tiempo se fueron añadiendo otras comidas y así nació la tapa española. Se convirtió en u u with spicy tomato sauce and mayonnaise (patatas brava). Peppers and tomatoes are roasted and chopped together in a warm salad style, small green peppers are grilled and served whole de Padron style (“Russian Roulette”, you may get a hot one). Spanish omelette is of course made with eggs and potatoes and is often cut into wedges or squares and served in various sizes. Vegetables are roasted and drizzled with oil, chick peas are served in a light stew, sometimes with spinach. The possibilities are endless. I have seen Russian salad, stuffed hardboiled eggs, empanadas, meatballs, chicken, lamb and more. Ham is one of the specialties and you see it in various forms and of varying quality. Be careful here as the best jamon is usually very expensive. Seafood of one kind or another are some of the most popular tapas choices it seems, at least here on the Mediterranean coastline: squid, prawns, sardines, octopus, fish, clams, mussels, eels, snails and several other crustaceans that I am sure you have never seen or heard of, let alone tasted. This list is only the tip of the iceberg, there are so many variations and styles of tapas. I think whatever is in season can become a tapa dish. Tapas also vary regionally and tend to highlight the specialties of the region. una costumbre tomar en bares y restaurantes un bocadito de esto o de lo otro con cada vaso de vino, Jerez o cerveza.

Not only the tapas are varied, but how the Spanish eat them also changes through the regions. In places like Madrid, Málaga and Barcelona locals go on a tapas crawl they call tapeo, going from one bar to another, all clustered in the tapas zones where tapas bars or tavernas line the streets. They taste one or two tapas in each before proceeding to the next bar. Often you’d be eating and drinking standing up at the counter as you chat with friends and family.

On my travels I have always found cultures and behaviour fascinating.

What I find in Spain is that people do not entertain in their homes the way they do in the UK. The concept of inviting someone to your home for coffee or dinner is not common. You go out for coffee and have dinner with friends at restaurants, not at home. The home is reserved for family only, or perhaps very close friends. As far as tapas are concerned, they are a bar thing, you go to the bars to have tapas, not at home. Not only is there a refreshing selection of tapas whilst you are out and about in the bars but quite frankly, it’s probably cheaper to eat out with tapas than it is to eat in...and it’s so much more fun!

Hoy en día hay zonas y bares de tapas en cada pueblo o ciudad por toda España. Por muy pequeño que sea el lugar, podremos ver carteles de bares de tapas por las calles y avenidas Hay diferentes categorías de tapas, de las más simple a la más elaborada. La más sencilla incluye aceitunas, queso, salchichas, jamón, encurtidos y otras cosas que no tengan que ser cocinadas. Se sirven patatas fritas aliñadas con salsa de tomate picante y mahonesa (patatas a la brava). Se prepara pisto de verduras, se asan pimientos verdes pequeños y se sirven enteros (los así llamados pimientos de patrón que como dice el refrán: “unos pican y otros no”).

La tortilla española se hace con huevos y patatas y se corta en porciones de diferentes tamaños. Se fríen verduras rehogadas en aceite de oliva, garbanzos cocidos se sirven algunas veces con espinacas.

Hay infinitas posibilidades.

He visto ensaladilla rusa, huevos cocidos, empanadilla, albóndigas, pollo, cordero y más.

El jamón es una de las especialidades y se puede ver en diferentes maneras y calidades. Tenga cuidado, aquí el mejor jamón es normalmente muy caro.

Pescado y mariscos parecen ser las tapas más populares sobretodo aquí en la costa mediterránea: calamares, gambas, sardinas, pulpo, pescado, almejas, mejillones, anguilas, y muchos otros crustáceos que estoy seguro que Usted no habrá nunca escuchado hablar de ellos y menos aún probados.

Esta lista es solo la punta del iceberg, hay tantas variedades y tipos de tapas. Creo que cualquier cosa que esté de temporada puede convertirse en una tapa.

Las tapas también varían según la región y tienden a resaltar las especialidades de cada región.

No solamente pueden variar las tapas sino también según la región la manera en la que se come.

En sitios como Madrid, Málaga y Barcelona los lugareños van de tapeo de bar en bar en zonas donde hay bares de tapas a lo largo de toda la calle. Toman una o dos tapas y siguen hacia el siguiente bar. A menudo se come y se bebe de pie en la barra mientras se habla con amigos y familiares.

En mis viajes siempre me han fascinado la cultura y las costulmbres. Lo que he notado en España es que la gente no se entretiene en sus casas como lo hacen en el Reino Unido. La costumbre de invitar a alguien a un café o a cenar a tu casa no es habitual.

Se sale para tomar un café o a cenar con amigos al restaurante, no en casa. El hogar es solo para familiares, o amigos muy cercanos. En lo que se refiere a las tapas, es cosa de bares, se sale al bar para tomar tapas, no en casa. No solamente hay una variedad inmensa de tapas cuando sales a un bar sino que sinceramente es más barato comer fuera de tapeo que comer en casa...y es mucho más divertido! n

Coma más pescado

by Clare Knowles

benefits of vitamin D. One that we already know of is bone health,” says Clare. She also touts the omega 3 fatty acid content of fish for supporting brain health.

That said, there are plenty of other good sources of protein, too. So is fish better for you than other proteins?

“There’s really no black and white answer to this question,” says Clare. “Just like all other foods, it’s good to get a wide variety of each food group. For example, other animal proteins may be higher in other nutrients that are also beneficial.”

Living in the south of Spain we have an abundance of fresh fish and seafood at our fingertips, but do we really make the most of it. Fish and seafood in general has incredible health benefits to us and simply put, we should be eating more. We spoke with Clare Knowles a health nutrition consultant that travels the world giving seminars for the World Health Organisation. Clare says “as we already know, fish is a great source of protein, vitamin D, and essential fatty acids (particularly found in the oilier fish). Protein can help build and repair muscle, and we are seeing more and more health u

Clare uses iron, an essential mineral that supports red blood cell production, as an example. “A 3-ounce portion of wild salmon, for example, would have far less iron than the same amount of lean beef. And, other proteins may be lower in less-than-desired components of certain fish, like mercury,” she adds. “It’s always good to get a wide variety of protein sources, including vegetarian options.”