A Tapastry of History

Aug. 31, 2010 - PRLog -- They come in a variety of cold snacks such as mixed olives and cheese and warm foods such as chopitos that are battered, fried baby squid.  Tapas has turned into a more sophisticated experience over the years and has moved over to other parts of the world such as the United Kingdom and in parts of North America.  It is now seen as a cuisine where many would choose a few appetizers to pick as a meal.

The words tapas is derived from the Spanish verb tapar which means to cover.  According to legend the tapas tradition began when King Alfonso X of Castile had recovered from an illness by drinking wine after and before meals in one of his Spanish Villas.  After regaining his health, he ordered that taverns will not allowed to serve wine to customers unless it is accompanied by a small snack or tapa.

The original tapas were slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips.  This was done to stop flies from hovering and diving into sherry.  The meat used was usually ham or chorizo this was used to activate thirst as it was very salty.  With the king's order bartenders and restaurant owners started to create their own variety of snacks to serve with the sherry.  This helped increase their alcohol sales and the tapas became as important as sherry.

Tapas have evolved through the Spanish history by including ingredients and taking influences from cultures and countries all over the world.  Most of the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by the Romans they introduced the olive and irrigation methods.  Almonds, citrus fruits and fragrant spices were brought over from the invasion of the North African Moors.  The discovery of the New World introduced tomatoes, sweet and chilli peppers, maize (corn), beans and potatoes.  These have remained from their 700 year presence.

In Spain Tapas is served between 9pm and 11pm although sometimes as late as midnight.  This is enough time between work and dinner, so they could go to the bar and eat tapas after finishing work and having dinner.  Another common time for tapas is on weekend days from midday to about 3pm this was a time when people can socialise before lunch at home.

In certain parts of Spain such as Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Asturias, Extremadura, and in parts of Andalucia, the bar will give you a free tapa with your drink.  Bars and small restaurants usually have 8 to 12 different kinds of tapas in warming trays with glass partitions covering the food.  They are usually of strong flavour featuring spices such as cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and saffron.  Also they use other ingredients like garlic, chillies and olive oil.  Seafood is also a choice this can be anchovies. Sardines or mackerel in olive oil, squid or others in a tomato based sauce.  In some cities there are zones that are dedicated to tapas bars, each of them serve their own unique dish.

In Northern Spain Tapas are also called Pinchos, They are called that because many of them have a pincho or toothpick through them.  The toothpick there to keep the entire snack together and to keep a record of how many the customers have eaten.

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