Arrlong28 754 Saturday at 12:19 AM Share Saturday at 12:19 AM Food is an important part of the culture and one of the most Spanish food is the "Tapas"! In this lesson we are going to learn about Tapas. *Disclaimer: this topic probably will make you hungry! Remember that Tapas are regional snacks and for that reason can be VERY different from one place to another and it's impossible cover all of it in a forum! Tapas are appetizers or snacks, hot or cold, that can be given free along a cup of beer or wine: like olives or peanuts. Tapas can be Combined to make a full meal. So if you want to eat with family and/or friends different dishes, a good way to enjoy them is combine some Tapas for lunch or supper. There's one rule or Etiquette when eating tapas. It's called "El Último Trozo de la Vergüenza" or "The Last Piece of Shame". Since it's a social oriented meal when the rule is sharing the food, it's considered rude to eat the last piece of the Tapas without asking the other diners. Always offer the last piece to the other diners, and if they refuse, then you can eat it. I'm from Barcelona, so I'm going to show you the more common Tapas in my neighborhood. Jamón con pan y tomate / Spanish Ham with bread and tomato This is a very common way in Barcelona to enjoy Spanish Ham. Spanish Ham is a very refined way of eating ham. The pigs that make the best ham are the "Iberian" race and they are not raised "enclosed" in a building eating... Who knows what. Instead, the best Spanish Ham is made with pig's that are raised "Outdoors" in the fields, full of Acorns. So the idea is that the the pigs can move free in the fields (doing exercise) and eat from the land, specifically a lot of acorns at their disposal. The other thing that changes the taste of the Spanish Ham is the "cut". The way you cut the ham have influence in the taste. The bread is usually one called in the regional language "Pà de Pagés" or "Farmer's bread" It's a big toasted loaf of bread. But can also be not toasted. Then, since the toasted loaf has more "hard" surface, we rub the tomato against the bread to cover the bread with the tomato juices. (If you like spicy, before the tomato and only if the bread is toasted, rub a clove of garlic along the surface). Add some salt and olive oil and Voilà! Enjoy the bread and the ham as you like. Chipirones / Fried Baby Squid Rejos / Fried Squid Tentacles Chocos / Fried pieces of Cuttlefish Those are self explanatory. We add a bit of lemon juice to give a more fresh flavor. Croquetas / Croquettes Croquetas are fried rolls, basically made with Bechamel+mushrooms or Ham, seafood... Typically leftovers. Then the Bechamel paste is mixed and then rolled, covered with egg and breadcrumbs, then fried. In my family we can make like 40 of those, but that is uncommon. Normally you pay by unit or a portion of 4-6 Croquettes. Theres a LOT more Tapas, but the post will be gigantic. I will post more Tapas here. Do you know or have tasted more tapas? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrlong28 754 Saturday at 06:02 AM Author Share Saturday at 06:02 AM Patatas Bravas / "Bold Potatoes" Very common Tapa. Fried potatoes but cut in a cube like shape. The best one's are the potatoes that are hand cut by the cookers one hours before open the bar. The sauce can be "Salsa Brava" / "Bold Sauce" which is a bit spicy and reddish. In Barcelona, sometimes there's this sauce we call in our regional language "Alioli" that means "Garlic and Oil". It's self explicative. Very strong flavour and it's just made with olive oil and garlic. It's yellow/white color sauce. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrlong28 754 Sunday at 12:02 PM Author Share Sunday at 12:02 PM Tortilla Española / Spanish Omelette Tortilla in Spain Spanish (or Castillian Spanish) it means "Omelette". There's two kind of basic "Tortillas" in Spain. Tortilla Española / Spanish Omelette and Tortilla Francesa / French Omelette. Tortilla Francesa or French Omelette is NOT a tapas. It's an Omelette made only with egg. Sometimes we can add milk or cheese. Tortilla Española or Spanish Omelette can be made as TAPAS (It can also be used as a part on a sandwich, for example.) It's made with eggs and potatoes. There's a big discusion if it the taste is better with some Onion or without it. I personally love Tortilla Española With Onion. Theres a lot of regional varieties that add more ingredients. The best I tasted is Tortilla Española with rabbit livers in Pamplona. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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