Features of eating tapas

Anyone who wants to feel like a real Spaniard should remember a few rules of good manners when ordering tapas. So, in the country it is customary to eat these snacks while standing, without sitting down. And in the evening it is advisable to visit at least 2-3 tapas bars - as they say, “tap”. And of course, tapas will not be tapas if those eating them do not actively communicate and gesticulate.

In the "lobby" of Spanish bars there is usually a board with a list of snacks and prices. The prices indicated there are different - depending on the size and filling. In some tapas bars, the entire range of snacks is displayed under glass at the counter, and there is simply no printed menu. In this case, point to the dish you are interested in, and they will bring it to you.

Another subtlety concerns the method of eating tapas. You can eat them without cutlery and take them with your hands - no sidelong glances in your direction will follow. So, feel free to go on a tapas tour of Spanish bars and make it unforgettable!

Tapas and pintxos or what to eat in Spain

For some reason, it is generally accepted that tapas and pintxos are snacks. This is a traditional Spanish snack that can be bought in any bar or cafe as if it were nuts or chips. This is partly true - they really can be bought literally everywhere. Even where there is no kitchen as such. That is, when you go to any Spanish bar in the dark, the owners will always have something to offer for a snack. And it doesn’t matter that you can’t get enough of pickled olives or that the sandwiches are already in your throat. This is purely Spanish cuisine of Spain and since you are here - bon appetit. But I have to disagree that this is just an appetizer. 2-4 tapas or pintxos and that’s it, the stomach stops squeaking from hunger, saying that it’s already full.

During the almost two weeks that we traveled around Spain by car, it didn’t matter whether it was sun-scorched Aragon, the proud Basque country or Madrid, built with colonial money, that tapas and pintxos were the same. With its own peculiarity, characteristic only of a certain place, but still very, very similar.

My photo selection of Spanish appetizers is presented below, although it is impossible to convey all the Spanish tapas in a photo. There is too much variety.

What is tapas?

This is a quick and easy meal. Yes, a snack. But in our understanding, fried potatoes, for example, are a completely independent dish, and they have a snack. But it cooks quickly, which means you can have a snack with it. Tapas can be either a plate of olives or chopped jamon, deep-fried bravo potatoes or chorizo ​​sausages fried in oil, julienne shells or just a piece of bread with olive oil rubbed with tomatoes. Whatever you have enough imagination for and whatever you can find in the fridge will be tapas!

There is a legend according to which King Alfonso XIII, while in Cadiz, sat down in some tavern to have a little drink. A strong wind arose and the owner of the tavern put a piece of jamon on the king’s glass, covering the wine from the sand that had risen from the wind. The king liked this snack and asked for more. This is a beautiful legend, but now no one serves drinks with topas.

Tapas cost from 2 to 10 euros depending on what you order. Olives and nuts will cost only 1 euro, and deep-fried squid will cost 10. There is absolutely no need to look for a tapas bar in Spain, since tapas are everywhere.

The simplest Spanish snack is nuts and olives.

Sliced ​​raw smoked sausage. Anytime and anywhere.

Jamon itself is a tapas. But it’s expensive to eat it just like that, so something with jamon is often offered. For example, patatas brava, aka fried potatoes. On top is planed jamon and uevos, aka eggs. It's written huevos but the first X is not pronounced in Spanish. Otherwise it sounds completely believable)

Ham and potatoes. They are jamon and patatas brava.

All kinds of cured sausages are used in tapas everywhere. They are either planed as is or fried in oil.

Potatoes and sausages. Patatas bravo and chorizo ​​rojo.

Octopus in Galician style. Pulpo gayego.

In Spain, they love shrimp, as well as seafood in general. They may cost more than a fried potato, say not 4, but 10 euros, but at the same time the variety is much greater. The same shrimp are cooked in sauces and grilled. It always tastes better on the grill. Ask for a la plancha, not frito. Of course, they will be fried in a frying pan, but they taste better on the grill.

Shrimp is always a good appetizer. To all.

Shrimp is always a good appetizer.

My favorite tapas and personal drug are pimientos padrone or peppers. It is believed that every tenth pepper is very hot. I only came across one this whole time. The Spaniards said that I was very happy. I do not argue)

My favorite Spanish snack.

Where the sea is close and there is a fishing port, you can always eat mussels or michienes. It's very tasty, but it's always not enough. And it costs about 8 euros.

Mejienes or mussels.

Another popular seafood item is chipirons. These are small deep-fried squids.

Chipirons are small squids.

But you can take traditional squid rings and squid chopped into rings. There are differences, but not fundamental ones)

The Spanish omelette, also known as tortilla, is not only just an appetizer, but also an element of pintxos if you put it on bread.

Tortilla is a Spanish omelette with potatoes. Also tapas.

What is pintxos?

This is the same snack, only strung on a stick. Even a sandwich with a traditional “toothpick” will be considered pintxos. Like tapas on bread in the photo above.

Pintxos cost about 4 euros, regardless of the filling. Well, plus minus Eureka. Having eaten 4-6 pieces and drunk a couple of beers, you can consider that you have not had a snack, but a full meal. This is a kind of fast food.

Pintxos are very popular in the Basque country and in the north. The greatest variety can be found in the old town of Bilbao. There are entire streets doing nothing but cutting and pinning snacks onto sticks. That is, the recipe for pintxos is simple - stick everything your heart desires on a stick.

Assorted pintxos from Bermel.

A sandwich with a stick is already pintxos!

These came with quail egg and shrimp.

The pintxos from the banks of the Douro River were cold, although they were julienned in the shell.

I liked this one, but strangely enough, it tasted and looked like eggplant, but the seller claimed that it was calabashin, that is, zucchini.

Tapas and pintxos certainly get boring after a two-week trip. And sometimes you just want soup, or something hot. But in fact, in the heat this is a very good food. And for the coming summer you can use a couple of recipes, I think)

Tapas are all kinds of small snacks made from meat, fish, vegetables, bread and other products in various combinations. A dish of Spanish cuisine, many drinking establishments serve signature tapas.

Spicy tapas with traditional Spanish chorizo ​​sausages and raw-cured jamon are especially colorful in taste. And in the home version, in your kitchen, far from Spain, and due to sanctions, from a number of Spanish products, you can experiment with preparing original versions of the popular tapas with spicy peanuts and Extremaduran rolls.

I took sliced ​​raw bacon and grilled it in the oven, but you can also use ready-made bacon, jamon or ham, etc. Soft sheep cheese is preferable, but simple cottage cheese or soft cream cheese will also work.

Prepare the ingredients according to the list:

For the spicy peanut filling, simmer chopped garlic and hot pepper pieces in olive oil.
Season with coarse salt.

Add peanuts and fry everything together so that nothing burns!

Then grind this mass to the desired degree using a blender.
For example, so that one part of the peanuts turns into paste, and the other part remains whole nuts.

For an egg-nut filling that echoes the filling of Extremaduran rolls, hard-boil the eggs.

Peel and grate the cooled eggs. Combine with chopped walnuts and soft cheese. Stir and add salt to taste.

Prepare the meat ingredient. If you took raw bacon rather than cooked bacon, place the slices on a baking sheet in one layer.

Bake in the oven on the grill setting until browned and completely cooked. You can simply fry it in a frying pan; it’s just that the baking sheet can accommodate more at once.

Wrap different types of fillings with meat slices, secure with skewers if necessary. Serve remaining portions of toppings on slices of fresh or toasted bread.

Tapas are ready!

Bon appetit and interesting culinary experiments!

Tapas are a type of cold and hot snacks. But for the Spaniards it's not just food, it's a lifestyle. The Spanish language even has a verb tapear - it translates as “to go to bars, chat with friends and acquaintances, drink wine and eat tapas.”
No one knows exactly when and how this tradition began, but there are several versions. According to one of them, the king of Castile and Leon Alfonso X the Wise (1221-1284) issued a law according to which the owners of inns were ordered to serve strong drinks only accompanied by snacks: visitors who got drunk on an empty stomach lost their decent appearance and posed a certain threat to themselves and others . Dishes with such snacks were brought directly onto mugs of beer or wine. This is where the name comes from: tapas means “lids” in Spanish. Until recently, tapas were served free with drinks in Spanish bars, but now increasingly you have to order them separately.
Any cut can serve as tapas, the classic version being jamon or chorizo, pickled or grilled vegetables, fried or pickled mushrooms, potato or rice balls, fried squid or mussels. And, of course, an endless string of tartlets and mini-sandwiches with sauces, pates, tuna and eggs, grated peppers and tomatoes with onions and garlic, grated cheeses with mayonnaise, fried eggs on a large round piece of tomato, sardines and anchovies with celery and lettuce , pieces of chicken or meat in wine sauce, all kinds of salads, seafood in various sauces, small potatoes in aromatic herbs.
I offer you two snacks: Coca - traditional caramelized bread, and Empanadillas - fried pies. These snacks have a common base - dough.

Preparation:

Meanwhile, prepare oil for Coca - mix chopped garlic, parsley and paprika with olive oil. Let it brew for 30 minutes.

To fill the empanadillas, finely chop the onion and garlic. Sauté in olive oil until translucent.

Add pepper and diced tomato. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tuna and diced egg. Stir, add parsley. Remove from heat, cool.

The dough stood and became soft and elastic.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 6-7 mm. Cut out circles and brush them with olive oil.
Place them on a sheet lined with parchment.

Cut the tomatoes into slices at least 5mm thick and cover the dough with them. Sprinkle with salt and sugar.
Brush with spiced oil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180*C for 30 minutes.

Cool the finished cocas a little and decorate according to your taste. Fillings - anchovies, cheese, sausage, eggs, tuna...

Coca can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Spaniards call these pies the sister of pizza...

For empanadillas, roll out the dough into a layer, cut out circles 10-12 cm in diameter.
Place a spoonful of filling in the center, mold the edges and press them with a fork.
Fry the empanadillas in heated vegetable oil (this is how they differ from empanadas, which are baked).

These pies are delicious both warm and hot.

The dough resembles puff pastry - crumbly and tasty.

Help yourself!
Buen provecho!

Tapas is a traditional Spanish appetizer that is served with beer, wine or any other alcohol. Classic types of tapas can be found in almost any Spanish establishment; There are also many specialty tapas bars.

Most often, the menu in these bars is very extensive and is written in Spanish. At the same time, it becomes quite crowded by eight in the evening, so it is customary to order quickly and clearly. In order not to get confused, you should have an idea in advance of what you will order.

5 most remarkable tapas

Patatas Bravas

Patatas Bravas are deep-fried potatoes with a spicy or garlic sauce. Every self-respecting tapas bar has its own recipe for this snack, so it’s always interesting to try it.

Berenjenas con miel (eggplant with honey)

Andalusian appetizer: fried and crispy eggplant pieces coated in honey.

Salmorejo (salmorejo)

A thicker type of gazpacho with olive oil, hard-boiled egg and jamon.

Croquetas (croquettes)

In Spain, croquettes are prepared with a filling of well-fried ham, beef, fish or cheese.

Albondigas (albondigas)

As with patatas bravas, each establishment has its own recipe for albondigas. These little meatballs are usually cooked in tomato or pepper sauce. Served with French fries and bread.

Let us note (anticipating the question “why did they forget this wonderful appetizer?”) that tapas can be made from anything, as long as it is edible, so it is almost impossible to create a complete guide to these dishes.

Hot and warm tapas

Tortilla española

Cold tapas

Tapas with meat

• Albondigas - meatballs
• Carrilladas - braised pork fillet
• Callos a la madrileña - beef stomach marinated in vinegar
• Chorizo ​​- chorizo
• Chicharrón – fried pork skin, diced
• Croquetas al jámon / al torro - croquettes with jamon or beef
• Jamón - jamon
• Morcilla - blood sausage
• Solomillo al whiskey - pork in whiskey and garlic sauce

Tapas with seafood

The list partially overlaps with the main one (hot / cold).

• Bacalao – cod, often deep-fried
• Berberechos - shellfish
• Boquerones fritos - deep-fried anchovies
• Boquerones en vinagre - anchovies in vinegar
• Coquinas - small shellfish
• Gambas al ajillo - garlic shrimp
• Ortiguillas fritas – sea anemone tempura
• Pescaíto frito - small deep-fried fish
• Pulpo a la gallega - marinated octopus, a special appetizer in Galicia
• Sardinas - sardines

Pulpo a la gallega

Vegetarian tapas

The list partially overlaps with the main one (hot / cold).