While tapas restaurants seem like a pleasurable experience, most of them fail to reproduce the rich cultural experience these celebrated small portions of food should offer. They provide a fun experience of sharing tasty bites in fun establishments with friends, but Americans do Spanish tapas completely wrong!
Before we set the record straight on what Spanish Tapas are not, let’s learn about what these dainty delicacies are.
How Do You Pronounce Tapas?
I begin with the correct pronunciation of the word, not because I’m a stickler for details, but because it’s way more fun to say the word correctly!
Spanish is easier to learn than many other languages because each Spanish vowel has only one sound. In English, the letter a has multiple sounds:
- Short a: As in half, calf, and “have to laugh.”
- Long a: like crazy, brave, rave, maze, and “Oh, behave!”
- Schwa a (sounds like the letter u): again, balloon, amazing (has a schwa a sound and a long a sound)
- Umlaut a (ä): Soccer, hockey, A-ha, and Sha Na Na.
That last ‘a’ is the only’ a’ sound in Spanish! Ahh, it’s so easy to say, “Patatas bravas para las tapas,” because all those ‘A’s have the same sound.
Spanish poets must have it so easy.
Who Started this Spanish Tapas Trend?
No one knows the true origin of this mouthwatering bite-sized mystery. Some of the legends are better than others. My brother-in-law’s is the best. It resonates with me.
Pepito’s History of Spanish Tapas
Here is the history of tapas, according to my brother-in-law. I won’t recount my brother-in-law’s history because of its authenticity, by the way. I enjoy his stories enough that I don’t concern myself with their accuracy.
A long time ago, in a Madrid far far away, the police were too busy dealing with drunks at night. To help reduce drunkenness, without the absurd notion of cutting down on drinking, King Alfonso X ordered that bartenders begin serving sustenance with alcoholic drinks.
A more accurate history, you will probably find. But you won’t find a history that resonates more with me!
Other Tapas Legends
Another Spanish tapas legend is known as “The Lid Theory.” Tapa is Spanish for “lid,” and the custom originated when Spaniards would cover their drinks with bread to keep flies away. This theory is only slightly more boring than the following theory.
Another theory is the custom began as snacks and evolved throughout the ages into the Spanish tradition we love today. [1] I refuse to swallow this Theory of Tapa-lution because it’s enormously boring.
What’s Wrong With Tapas in the United States?
Tapas bars and restaurants in the United States are typically overpriced, trendy, and upscale establishments. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just know that when you go out for tapas here in the States, you’re not getting an authentic Spanish experience. You’re getting an expensive, trendy experience.
Tapas en España
In Spain, tapas is like a bonus snack. Remember when bars used to serve bowls of beer nuts? They gave you a little snack, as in they didn’t charge for them. That’s like tapas.
The bar gives you these bites with your drink. The key word there is that they don’t charge you for tapas. That begs the question, how do you order this scintillating sustenance?
And what about the trendy part? In my experience, the less trendy bars serve the best tapas!
How Do You Order Spanish Tapas?
You don’t!
As my kid said when she was in preschool, “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit!” The server brings you the dishes they prepared as tapas.
If you enjoy a particular morsel and want more, you can order it. That is called a Racion. Essentially, it’s an appetizer.
If you have to — or get to — order it, it’s not a tapa!
What Food Will You Get As Spanish Tapas?
It depends on where you go. If you’re in Puerta del Sol, the touristy shopping district in Madrid, you won’t find as many tapas. When we visited in 2014, most of the bars there offered bowls of potato chips. Think Lays. And, Oh, I relished those chips. When we visited in 2018, most bars in Sol no longer offered tapas.
In some bars in less trendy neighborhoods, you’ll get a good-sized bowl of paella, a decent-sized bocadillo, or even a few big pieces of shrimp. While I wouldn’t recommend that tourists visit the neighborhood where my brother-in-law works, those bars served fantastic, hearty tapas.
An Important Note on Bocadillos Vs. Sandwiches
When Spain, never ever ever order a sandwich. You will occasionally see “Sandwich” on the menu. You’ll get two slices of the lamest white bread that’s ever stuck to the roof of your mouth and a slice of ham that has to be imported from the United States.
Learn this word: bocadillo.
Order that, and you’ll get a nice baguette-style bread with melt-in-your-mouth Jamon Serrano and probably some manchego cheese soaked in olive oil. Maybe some roasted peppers.
Although it’s not always tapa, the magic word is Bocadillo. The wrong word is sandwich.
Tapas That Spanish Bars Might Serve You
You might get mini bocadillos. One bar gave us bowls of what seemed like a combination of pork skins and bacon. It was tiny bites of pork with fat still on it, fried and crispy. Oh, mi gatos, it was delicious.
One bar gave us cheese and crackers. It was the manchego cheese soaked in olive oil. We went back to that bar a couple of times.
Other frequent tapas include empanadas, croquettes, or slices of Spanish tortilla. A Spanish tortilla is a potato omelet made with potatoes, eggs, and onion. It might be the second most delicious thing you ever eat. My wife makes killer tortillas. I call them Killortillas.
Just kidding. Such nonsense would be undignified. And sully the sanctity of tortillas.
Spanish Tapas Ain’t Always Pretty
Ensalada ruso, a potato salad, is a frequent tapa. Typically, bars have a display case where they showcase most of their tapas. Sometimes, you see a dish made from mayonnaise and wonder how long it had been sitting in that display case that day. I recommend that you be your own judge, and don’t eat anything that will make you sick.
Other Ways to Order Food in Spain
What if you get a tapa that you love, and you want more of it? Or what if the tapas leave you still hungry?
Raciones: A Bigger Portion
Raciones are essentially appetizers. They are on the menu, and you can order them. Usually, but not always, if you enjoy a particular tapa, you can order it as a ración.
Bars don’t serve raciones for free, unlike tapas. You’ll pay for them like an appetizer appetizer in the United States.
When we went out with a larger group, we’d order raciones so we’d have bigger dishes to share. Tapas in the United States are more like raciones in Spain. However, American tapas here are too small to be considered raciones.
Dishes
Many bars also offer plates that you can order, typically featuring a protein with one or two sides.
Menu del Dia
Then there is the Menu del Dia, the Menu of the Day. When we dined as a family, we usually ordered the Menu of the Day. Everybody, that is, except for my wife and me. We always ordered raciones. It drove my mother-in-law crazy. She thought we should all order from the Menu of the Day.
Every Menu del Dia gives you the choice of an entre, one or two sides, a dessert, and a drink. Some restaurants will bring the items out one at a time, and others bring the main dish and sides together.
I never once complained about the amount of food they served with the menu del dia. All the restaurants served generous portions.
These small bites, shared with drinks and friends, represent Spain’s way of celebrating life and community in restaurants and bars. While the custom sadly seems to wane with rising prices and commercialism, the tradition endures. I hope that you someday experience the joy of Spanish tapas with friends!
Other Fun Things to Do in Madrid
A trip to Madrid in August may be super hot, but you’ll love August in Madrid when you enjoy these amazing festivals in Madrid!
Enjoy and mesmerizing stroll through the art, history and culture of Madrid in the gorgeous Parque del Buen Retiro.
Reference
https://www.nextleveloftravel.com/spain/all-you-need-to-know-about-spanish-tapas