SPANISH TAPAS.

For those unfamiliar with the Spanish way of eating you have probably seen small plates of food being served in the Spanish bars. These plates of food are tapas and one of the best introductions to authentic Andalusian food as you can get.  You can enjoy tapas in most bars before the lunch hour (in Spain this is very late--tapas at 1 pm, lunch at 2 pm or after), and again before dinner (8-9 pm, with dinner later).

Some believe that 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 he had recovered from the disease, the wise king decreed that no wine was to be served in any of the inns in the land  unless accompanied by something to eat. Fact or fiction – who can say? More realistically the word tapa, meaning cover or lid, is thought to have originally referred to the piece of bread or even card that the Spanish used to place on top of their glasses of wine (or beer) to protect the contents from fruit flies, dust and other insects. At some point, it became a habit to top this ¨lid¨ with a snack, a complimentary service provided by the bar owner. The Spanish in general won't drink without eating something and originally these small snacks were given free to anyone who bought a drink in the bar. Unfortunately these days, most establishments now charge for the tapas but it is a small price to pay for something so enjoyable. No matter what your tastes are, you are always certain to find something appealing as many bars have such a variety of cheese, meat, fish, egg, vegetable, and savory dishes, you are virtually spoilt for choice.

Going on a ¨tapas trot¨ in Malaga was my first true introduction to tapas, and what an introduction it was!  That was nearly 13 years ago and I have been addicted to tapas ever since. Over the years, I have accumulated many traditional tapas recipes and the ones included in this section are both easy to make and amongst the most popular – I hope you enjoy them.

Many tapas dishes can be served up as a starter to a meal or in some cases, a main meal.

© 2006 Costa Del Sol Community. All rights reserved worldwide.                   A copy of these delicious recipes contained in an ebook can be yours for just 3.00 (Euros). The Spanish Tapas Ebook can be either stored on your PC or printed out. 

Tapas recipes.