About Tapas?

Question

i have had tapas before but i'm going to be serving them and i don't know exactly how to describe them and explain what they are, except,"well, they're tapas." can anyone give me a definition that i can describe tapas with?

i know they aren't just one recipe. i know there are different kinds of tapas!

Answer 1

History & Origin of Tapas:

La Tapa so as to be meaningful, has to be eaten between main meals as food that allows the body to survive until lunch or dinnertime.

Some authors assert 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 recovered from the disease, the wise king decreed that no wine was to be served in any of the inns in the land of Castile , unless accompanied by something to eat. This was a wise precaution to counteract the adverse effects of alcohol on those people who, through lack of money to buy a nourishing meal, drank alcohol on an empty stomach.

Apart from the story of the royal disease we should consider the theory that the tapa first appeared because of the need of farmers and workers of other unions to take a small amount of food during their working time, which allowed them to carry on working until time for the main meal.

This main meal, rich in fat, was so heavy to digest that a “siesta” had to be taken for a couple of hours before going back to the fields or to the workshop. Longer working hours in the morning meant an easier workload after the meal.

Wine was the natural accompaniment to this snack, as it induced a mellow mood and increased strength, while in winter it warmed the body as protection against very cold days in the fields and in the workshops of the Middle Ages. In summer, the drink taken in the South was “gazpacho” (cold tomato soup), instead of wine, which increased body heat rather than providing the necessary cold refreshment.

The snack is called “alifara” in northern Spain , Aragón and Navarra; and later, in the Vasque Country, it began to be called “poteo”, because the wine had to be drunk in “potes” (jars).

Once the “botillerias” (bottle-shops) and “tabernas” (taverns) became established throughout Spain , the wise King’s decree remained in place. For that reason, the glass or jar of wine was served covered with a slice of either smoked ham or cheese, for two reasons: first to prevent insects or other impurities falling into the jar and secondly, for the guests to soak up the alcohol they had drunk with something solid, as King Alfonso had advised. This was the origin of the tapa, a solid food that covered the wineglass and a word rooted in Spanish tradition. And so the tradition of the tapa spread throughout Spain , and continues right up to the present day. Many other countries have adopted the tapa, serving it in many different ways.

A solid tapa is the favorite lunchtime food of North Americans as it helps them to keep going throughout their working day right up to the early evening. Although popular with North Americans, the tapas tradition has not caught on in Europe , where the Old Continent is faithful to the custom of eating three main meals a day - breakfast, mid-day and evening.

Because of the length of time between the early-morning breakfast, and the midday meal, which in fact is really only eaten in the early evening, some Mediterranean countries have adopted the custom of taking a “tentempié” (snack), an appetizer or the “tapita”. This break gives people a chance to socialize and to discuss work-related topics.

The traditional drink with the tapa is wine, either “peleón” (young and cheap) or “reserve” wine (matured in oak-barrels) of each region: young “txakolí” in the Basque Country, Penedés wine or Cava in Cataluña, “ribeiro” in the Northwest, young Valdepeñas or Rioja wine in Castile and in the centre, or fine sherry in the south. In Asturias and in northern parts, where apples grow in abundance, cider replaces wine.

Tapas recipes vary according to the taste and gastronomic traditions of each region. But the tapas most often served are usually those including the many variety of olives, dry nuts, as well as many kinds of cold cuts. Nowadays, the tapa includes many other recipes for appetizers. In the Middle Ages and during periods of economic hardship, those courses were supplemented with bread. However, today, those courses are included in the tapas world. Tapas recipes use a wide variety of animal-derived products, such as meat, fish and eggs and agricultural products such as vegetables.

The many varieties of olives - green, Manzanilla, machacadas (crushed), gordales (big), rellenas (stuffed), aliñadas (flavoured) or deshuesadas (stoneless) - are in themselves the subject of a book. Together with the olives, slices of garlic or smoked-ham sausages, slices of cheese or jamón curado, became famous worldwide. After all, this is the real origin of the cover of the Middle Ages’ jar.

Among others, there are fried tapas and tapas prepared with sauces. Sometime in the past, the fried tapas had more success and are more in demand than the ones prepared with sauces, apart from some small exceptions. “Boquerones”(whitebait), calamaries, sausages, fritters, croquets, potato and “torreznos”, belong to the world of fried tapas. Casserole stews as well as the Madrilenian “callos”, the Almagro's aubergines or flavored string beans belong to the tapas prepared with sauces. Finally, animal and agricultural-based recipes such as potato tortilla, cod fritters, croquets and escabeches, remain obligatory at this time of the day so that, if accompanied by a salad, they could perfectly replace a complete lunch.

Today, alongside with these traditional snacks, many new ones appeared, some of which were only meant to be served on an elegantly laid table. Such newcomers include the "paella" or the stewed potatoes with meat; and others taken from foreign recipes that finally ended up in our tapas world such as smoked salmon, pate or caviar, vegetable spring rolls, smoked fish from the Northern countries, German sausages, Swiss or French melted cheese and cakes or pate from Central Europe.

Tapas can be eaten at lunch or dinner if the quantity or variety of tapas is enough to satisfy the appetite. But without any doubt, the most singular aspect of the “tapeo” (the art of eating tapas) is its ability to bring together people from all walks of life who gather round the table to enjoy this informal ritual together.

Despite the elegance of the tapeo and its aesthetic ritual, there is a measure of indifference to both table and seating arrangements and even to the food itself, which, although delicate and tasty, is eaten standing up an in such small quantities, that people refer to this action as pecking at the food, bird-like ("picar") instead of "eating" (comer). At the time of tapeo conversation plays an integral part of the tapeo ritual. The art of eating standing up has become almost sacrosanct. The tapas are a very characteristic part of the Spanish cooking tradition that seem unlikely to be exported to other cultures, but have now become popular throughout the world.

Why not! The tapeo would be, without a doubt, the best fast food formula if it did not require time and a break long enough to practice, with Spanish elegance, the art of eating on foot.
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Alioli Potatoes

Amounts to serve 4 to 6

7 medium sized potatoes
1 garlic clove
1/4 liter (1 cup) mayonnaise
Salt
Parsley, minced

Boil the potatoes, unpeeled, using plenty of water. Peel them, cut them into medium sized pieces and sprinkle with salt. When cold, cover with the Alioli sauce which is prepared separately. Sprinkle with plenty of parsley and mix well (carefully).
Alioli sauce: mix the mayonnaise with the raw garlic clove, peeled and crushed in the mortar to a thin paste.


Chicken Croquettes

Amounts to serve 4 to 6

1/2 cup of flour
500 cc (2 cups) of milk
1 cooked chicken leg
Salt
Nutmeg (to taste)
750 cc (3 cups) olive oil
Eggs and bread crumbs as needed to coat the croquettes

Mince the chicken very finely. Saute it in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Dilute the flour in a little milk, stirring with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer.

Heat the rest of the milk in a sauce pan. When it's about to boil, add the milk with the diluted flour, and keep stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent the formation of lumps. Cook at low heat for about 10 minutes until the mixture turns into a thick but silky cream. Salt and add the nutmeg to taste, add the chicken and stir for 3 to 5 minutes more, always at low heat. Spread the cream on a large, flat dish, and wait for it to cool down.

Form small oval balls using two spoons or your hands. Dredge in the flour, dip in the egg letting the excess drip off, and coat with bread crumbs. Fry them until golden brown with plenty of olive oil which must be quite hot.

Leave on paper towels to drain before serving.


Fried Olives

Amounts to serve 4:

1/4 kg (9 oz) green olives
1 egg, beaten
500 g. (4 cups) flour
2 cups olive oil (The amount of oil needed will vary depending on whether you use a frying pan or a frier and on their sizes).

Coat the olive with egg and flour. Fry them using plenty of hot oil until golden brown. Drain them on paper towels. Serve warm.

Salt Cod Fritters

Amounts to serve 4:

250 g (1/2 pound) salt cod, chopped, skinned and boned
30 g (1/4 cup) flour
250 cc (1 cup) milk
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp minced parsley
1 liter (4 cups) olive oil for frying
Freshly ground black pepper

Soak the salt cod for 24 hours in plenty of cold water, which must be renewed every 8 hours. Drain it and bring to a boil in water to cover. Reduce the heat. When froth begins to form in the water, drain and crush the fish to a paste in a mortar.
Mix the cod with the oil and the flour in a bowl; add the egg yolk, lightly beaten, and the milk. Add the crushed garlic, the minced parsley and pepper to taste. Stir thoroughly. Beat the whites till stiff and mix with the cod paste immediately before frying the fritters.

Drip small spoonfuls of the paste in hot (smoking slightly) frying oil. Wait until the balls rise and are light golden brown.

Leave on paper towels to drain.


Shrimps with Garlic

Amounts to serve 4:

1/2 kg (1-1/2 pounds) shrimp
2 garlic cloves
1/2 hot dried red pepper
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt

Peel the shrimps and discard the heads. Heat the oil in a frying pan or in a casserole and add the garlic, cut into thin slices. Leave on low heat until the garlic is golden brown. Add the hot red pepper, flaked. Add the shrimps and saute for a minute.
Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.


Spanish Tortilla

Amounts to serve 4:

500 g (1 pound) potatoes
4 eggs
Salt
Olive oil

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Fry them in a frying pan at low heat with enough olive oil to cover the potatoes completely. When the potatoes are soft, nearly "boiled" in the oil but not brown, drain them well and mix them with the beaten eggs.
Put this mixture in a non-stick frying pan coated with a very thin film of olive oil, at low heat. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the pan with a pancake turner and shape the edges. After three minutes, invert the tortilla in the pan with the help of a dish or the lid of a pot. Let it cook on the other side in the same way.

It must be golden brown outside, well shaped, and juicy in the center.

Answer 2

Tapas translated from Spanish to English means "covers" or "to cover"...


Translated by Epicurious.com -

[TAH-pahs] as-
Popular throughout Spain in bars and restaurants, tapas are appetizers that usually accompany Sherry or other aperitifs or cocktails. They can also form an entire meal and can range from simple items such as olives or cubes of ham and cheese to more elaborate preparations like cold omelets, snails in a spicy sauce, stuffed peppers and miniature sandwiches.

Typically, you would find an assortment of Spanish-style appetizers you like and present them over a period of time, not necessarily all at once, taking the edge off the appetite but leaving room for the next course.

Answer 3

If your friends are familiar with Chinese cuisine, you could describe them as Spanish Dim Sum.

Also, tapas isn't one specific recipe -- the word describes the style of dining, not one particular food. The wikipedia entry is, as you might expect, very helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas

Answer 4

1
lb. medium rare deli roast beef, thinly sliced

25
thin asparagus spears, cut into 3-inch lenths

3/4
cup cream cheese

1 1/2
Tbsp. horseradish

1
Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped

1
Tbsp. chives, finely chopped
This is what is and is in a tapas

Answer 5

Tapas are little bites. They can be referred to vaguely as hors d'oeuvres, appetizers. But little bites is most accurate.

Answer 6

I guess you could call them appetizers, tapas sounds better though

Answer 7

Small plates of food. Eaten like snacks often with wine.

Like Hor d'Oeuvres, Dim-Sum, Mezze in other cuisines.

Answer 8

They are usually appetizer/finger foods served on small plates.
They are served on small plates so you could balance them on top of your drink while seated in a crowded lounge

Answer 9

I don't have an answer but I do have a funny story.....My son was taking me out for dinner and drinks, said we were going to a topas bar, but I thought he said "topless" I was releaved to say the least, to find that everyone there was fully clothed.....

Answer 10

They are hor'derves on a plate