Tapas and the tapeo

What it is

Tapas are not a kind of dish. They are a size and a way of eating. Almost anything can be a tapa: a wedge of potato omelette, a few slices of ham, fried fish, stewed chickpeas. Larger shared plates are called raciones, and a half portion is a media ración. People stand at the bar or around a high table, order a drink, eat one or two things and move on. Each bar tends to be known for one speciality, and regulars order only that.

Where it comes from

The word tapa means lid. One common account is that bartenders once covered a glass of wine with a slice of bread or ham to keep out dust and flies, and the snack stayed. Nobody can prove it. What is certain is that the custom is strongest in Andalusia and spread across Spain during the twentieth century. In Granada, León, Jaén and Almería a tapa still arrives free with each drink. In most other cities you choose and pay for each one.

How it works

The evening round usually starts after eight and peaks around ten. Lunch tapas run from about one to three. You order at the bar, often by calling out to the staff, and the bill is kept for you until you ask for it. In busy bars the list is chalked on a board. A group commonly keeps a shared pot of money, or takes turns paying for a round. Three or four bars makes a full evening.

How to do it

1. Pick a street or square with several bars close together.
2. Order a small beer (caña), a glass of wine or a vermouth first.
3. Ask what the house speciality is and order one or two tapas, not five.
4. Eat standing at the bar, then ask for the bill (la cuenta) and move on.
5. Repeat at two or three more bars.

Good manners

• Do not hold a table for hours in a standing bar at peak time.
• Where the tapa is free, you take what the kitchen sends. Asking to choose is fine only if the bar offers it.
• Pay at the end of your stay in each bar, not after each plate.

What is eaten

Patatas bravasCrisp potato cubes with a spicy paprika sauce from SpainSpanish omeletteEgg and potato omelette, often served as a tapa in SpainIbérico hamCured leg of Black Iberian pig, prized in Spain and PortugalCroquetteA deep-fried roll with a creamy or starchy filling, coated in breadcrumbsAl ajilloSeafood, meat or mushrooms cooked with garlic and chili in Spanish and Latin cuisinesPadrón peppersSmall green peppers from Galicia, Spain, often fried and served as tapasSalmorejoThick cold tomato and bread soup from Córdoba, AndalusiaOlivier saladA Russian salad of diced vegetables, meat and mayonnaise, served at festive meals

Sources and further reading

• Tapas on Wikipedia
• Spain.info: Tapas in Spain
• Official Tourism Website of Andalusia