Tapas has become a Norwegian party table with fifteen small dishes served all at once. In Spain it is something rather different.
First things first: tapas is not a table, it is a way of eating
A tapa is a small portion that comes with a glass. The point is the movement: you have one tapa and one glass in one place, pay, and move on to the next bar. The Spanish call it tapeo, and an evening tends to consist of four or five stops. The table full of bowls at home in the living room is a northern European adaptation. That explains why Spanish tapas recipes rarely come in sets of fifteen.
Nor is the tapa free everywhere. In Granada, León and Almería it still comes with the drink, while in Madrid and Barcelona you pay for each one. The story that the word tapa comes from a lid laid over the glass is often retold, but it is not documented.
Tapa, ración and pincho
On a Spanish menu these are three sizes of the same dish. A tapa is a mouthful or two. A ración is a full portion for sharing, and a media ración is half of that. A pincho, or pintxo in the Basque Country, is fixed to a slice of bread with a toothpick, and in Basque bars you pay according to how many sticks are left on your plate.
How to put the table together
Choose four to six things, not fifteen, and let half of them be cold. A good starting point from the cupboard:
- Olives in two varieties, ideally one mild green and one stuffed or spiced
- Anchovies or sardines, served straight from the tin with a little oil and a scattering of parsley
- Tuna stirred with capers, red onion and olive oil, on toasted bread
- Pan con tomate: toasted bread rubbed with garlic and a halved ripe tomato, salted and with olive oil over
- Diced potatoes, fried crisp and dusted with smoked paprika
- Allioli, which in the original from Catalonia is only garlic, salt and olive oil whipped together, with no egg
If you want manchego, chorizo or serrano ham, buy it fresh over the counter. What we can help you with from here are the store-cupboard basics: olives, capers, anchovies, tuna, olive oil and spices.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is tapas?
A small portion of food that comes with a glass, and a way of eating where you move between bars. It is not one particular dish. Almost anything can be served as a tapa.
What is usually served as tapas?
Olives, anchovies, Spanish omelette, potatoes with smoked paprika, bread with tomato and marinated tuna. In Spain one or two are served at a time, not all of them together.
Can you make tapas the day before?
Much of it. Marinated olives, tuna salad, allioli and boiled potatoes are better for a night in the fridge. Toasted bread is made just before serving.
How much tapas do I need per person?
Allow four to five small portions per person if tapas is the whole meal, and two to three if something follows.
What goes well to drink with it?
Most often a small glass of beer, dry sherry or a simple red wine. The glass is small enough to finish in one place before you move on.
Where to find the ingredients
Start at the olive shelf and see the rest of the range under antipasti and olives. Capers lift both tuna and tomato, and anchovies and sardines are perhaps the simplest tapa there is. A Spanish olive oil belongs on almost everything, and smoked paprika is among the ground spices. If you want to make something larger from the Spanish kitchen, see paella and churros.
