LR
Joie de Vivre
Tantalizing Tapas The True Art of Tapeo
D
elicious little bits of this….savory little bits of that…and a whole lot of gastronomic adventure, is why the tapas trend is taking the culinary world by storm. But there still remains some confusion about the difference between tapas and appetizers. It’s simple. Anything that is strictly designed to accompany a cocktail or beverage rather than to whet your appetite before a main meal is, by definition, tapas. There are tales of Spanish kings making royal decrees that no alcohol be served without food to the public for various reasons, but the “official” history of tapas is vague. One commonly accepted-- though rather unappetizing-- theory is that the original tapa (meaning “lid”) was a cover for a drink glass. Legend has it that in 19th century Spain, barkeeps gave their customers slabs of bread, ham, cheese or sausage (the jury is still out on exactly what the first tapa lid was made of) to keep fruit flies and dust out of drinks. When patrons ate their “lids” they became thirstier
and ordered more drinks, so barkeeps began to serve complimentary little extras along with every beverage order. Today, the tapas tradition is deeply embedded in Spain’s gastronomic culture. In Spain, sipping without snacking is considered uncivilized, as the purpose of tapas is to buffer the belly while imbibing. But grazing on a kaleidoscope of little delicacies is only one part of the timehonoured tradition of tapeo. Tapas bars are the nexus of Spanish social life– strolling from one spot to another with a group is called tapear (a new verb added to the Spanish dictionary to describe the entire custom) and the daily (and nightly) “pub crawl” of lively flirting, sipping, sharing, laughing and pecking at tapas is truly a way of life. As tapas-style cuisine meets new culinary vistas, it absorbs the flavours and ingredients indigenous to each new locale. This is something we can do here in Montreal with our own local influences and wonderful nightspots as well, so give the true art of tapeo a whirl. You’ll love it! Salud! SUSAN CAMPBELL
-- LuxuryReportMagazine.com