Tapas
Tapas (pronunciation: TAH-pas) are a wide variety of Spanish appetizers, such as mixed olives, cheeses, or elaborate creations like battered and fried baby squid (Puntillitas). In Spain, tapas are usually given for free to accompany a drink before dinner. In the United States and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine where patrons order many different small Spanish dishes and combine them for a full meal.
History
Tapas evolved over Spain's history through the incorporation of ingredients and influences from many different cultures and countries. The east coast was invaded by the Romans, who introduced the olive and irrigation methods. The invasion of the North African Moors in the 8th century also brought olives to the south, as well as almonds, citrus fruits and fragrant spices. The influence of their 700-year occupation remains today, especially in Andalucia. The discovery of the New World brought the introduction of tomatoes, sweet and chili peppers (capsicums), beans and potatoes. These were readily accepted and easily grown in Spain's micro-climates.
Etymology
Tapa means "cover" in Spanish. There are several explanations for the etymology of "tapa":
- A commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies; at some point it became a habit to top this "cover" with a snack.
- Some experts believe that the name originated sometime round the 16th century when tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine, thus "covering" it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine.
Tapas in Spain
In Spain, dinner is usually served between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., leaving significant time between work and dinner. Therefore, Spaniards often go "bar hopping" (Spanish: Ir de tapas) and eating tapas in the time between finishing work and having dinner. Since lunch is usually served between 2 and 3 p.m., another common time for tapas is weekend days around noon as a means of socializing before lunch proper at home.
It is very common for a bar or a small local restaurant to have 6 to 8 different kinds of tapas in warming trays with glass partitions covering the food. They are often very strongly flavored with garlic, chillis or paprika, and sometimes swimming in olive oil. Often one or more of the choices is seafood or mariscos, often including anchovies, sardines or mackerel in olive oil or squid or others in a tomato based sauce, sometimes with the addition of red or green peppers or other seasoning. It is rare to see a tapas selection not include one or more types of olives, such as manzanilla or arbequina olives. One or more types of bread are usually available to eat with any of the sauce-based tapas.
In the northern Spanish city of León, in Asturias, and in parts of Andalusia, when you go to a bar and order a drink, you get a tapa for free. This happens mostly in the province of Jaén, Granada, Almería and Córdoba but it is not very common in the rest of Andalusia, where you generally have to pay for both the drink and the tapa. Sometimes, especially in Northern Spain, they are also called pinchos (often spelled pintxos in the Basque Country), because many of them have a pincho, or toothpick through them. This is used to keep whatever the snack is made of from falling off the bread it has been attached to. Another name for them is banderillas (diminutive of bandera "flag"), in part because some of them resemble the colorful skewers used in bullfighting.
In Andalusia, tapas can be "upgraded" to bigger portions, equivalent to half a dish (media ración) or a whole one (ración). This is generally more economical when a tapa is being ordered by more than one person. The portions are usually shared by diners, and a meal made up of raciones resembles a Middle Eastern mezze or Chinese dim sum.
Common dishes
- Aceitunas, or olivas
- Olives
- Albóndigas
- Meatballs
- Alioli
- Meaning "Garlic and oil" in Catalan (the classic ingredients are only garlic, oil and salt, but the common form of it is Mayonnaise and garlic) a very strong garlic paste. Served on bread or with potatoes, fish, meat or grilled vegetables.
- Calamares
- Rings of fried squid tentacles.
- Carne mechada
- Larded pork meat slices
- Cazón en adobo
- Deep fat fried marinated dogfish goujons.
- Chocos fritos
- Fried battered squid
- Chorizo al vino
- Chorizo sausage slowly cooked in wine.
- Croquetas
- Croquettes are a common sight on bar counters and in homes across Spain, served as a tapa, light lunch, or a dinner along with a salad.
- Ensaladilla rusa
- Mixed boiled vegetables with tuna, olives and mayonnaise.
- Gambas
- Prawns sauteed in salsa negra (peppercorn sauce), al ajillo' (with garlic), or 'pil-pil' (with chopped chilli peppers).
- Pincho moruno
- A spicy kebab-like stick, made of pork or chicken meat. Its name means Moorish Stick.
- Patatas bravas
- Fried potato dices (sometimes part-boiled and then fried, or simply boiled) served with salsa brava, a spicy tomato sauce. Alioli is often served with it too.
- Puntillitas
- Battered and fried baby squid.
- Queso con anchoas
- Castilla or Manchego cured cheese with anchovies on top.
- Rajo
- Pork meat seasoned with garlic and parsley. A variety with added paprika is called Zorza.
- Solomillo a la castellana
- Fried pork scalops, served with an onion and/or Cabrales cheese sauce
- Solomillo al whisky, or al güisqui
- Fried pork scalops, marinated using whisky, brandy or white wine and olive oil.
- Tortilla de patatas, also known as Tortilla española
- A type of omelette containing fried chunks of potatoes and sometimes onion. A variety containing vegetables and chorizo (similar to frittata) is known as Tortilla paisana.
- Tortillitas de camarones
- Battered-prawn fritters
- Stuffed Mussels (Tigres)
- In Bilbao, these stuffed mussels are called tigres ("tigers") because of their fieriness.
Tapas in the United States and the United Kingdom
Upscale tapas restaurants are common in developed cities of the United States and the United Kingdom, where a series of tapas are typically served as a main course. The United Kingdom has a tapas chain, La Tasca, which recently opened a branch in North America. As with any cuisine exported from its original country, there can be significant differences between the original Spanish dishes and the dishes served abroad.
Tapas in the Philippines
Spain occupied the Philippines for nearly 400 years, from the sixteeth century (1521) until 1898. Filipinos adapted many Spanish words into the local language, including tapa. But nowadays 'tapa' in the Philippines bears little resemblance to the original Spanish meaning; it is specifically a traditional dish of salt-cured beef, somewhat similar to American-style beef jerky.
Today, Filipino tapa (mostly made with beef, occasionally with venison and/or wild boar meat) is fried and eaten as a full meal, usually for breakfast, with garlic fried rice and fried eggs-- along with a chilli-vinegar dip. Or on its own, beef tapa is crisp-fried and served as a proper spanish-style tapa, i.e. with alcoholic drinks, in many bars, restaurants and homes in Manila, Cebu, and in most cities and towns of the Philippines.
The concept of Spanish tapas-- eating little plates of food with alcoholic beverages-- has a long tradition in the Philippines. Indeed, no Filipino would ever think of having drinks without at least 4 or 5 plates of different "pulutan" (Philippine 'tapas').
Interestingly, some common 'pulutan' in the Philippines have a distinctly Spanish orientation: gambas al ajillo, calamares (floured crisp-fried squid), mushrooms in olive oil and garlic, caldereta (Filipinized Spanish beef or goat stew) and other more elaborate presentations.