Posted on March 9, 2010.
Spanish Tapas Tapas are snacks, small bites of the delicious food served at tapas bars and restaurants all over Spain. Economic and wonderful variety, the tapas are a good way to enjoy Spanish dishes, without filling your stomach or empty your pockets more.
Origin
It is said that tapas were created for the first time when the sick king of Spain, Alfonso 10, was advised by his doctors that the cure would have been if, instead of drinking wine by itself, between meal he has eaten a piece of food with it. When the king had recovered from his illness, he wants to keep the general population of suffering in the same manner and said that from this moment, no alcohol can be served in inns and taverns of Castile unless the food was served with it.
Apart from the legend, there were purely practical reasons of tradition of tapas too. Farmers and workers in rural Spain is a welcome addition to Tapas their workday, because it gave them energy to enable them to continue to work throughout the day.
Tapas and drinks
Historically, wine was served with tapas in the winter to keep the body warm and prevent disease. In taverns, wine was served with a piece of bread with a topping of cheese or ham balanced on the mouth of the glass to cover the wine and also to mitigate the effects of alcohol in the absorbent stomach. The wine is still the favored accompaniment today, but according to region and season, sherry or cider can also be served with Tapas.
In summer, the drink is often made with tapas in the warmer parts of southern Spain is the gazpacho, a cold soup of tomato is mainly cooling and refreshing.
Tapas Recipes
As alcohol served with tapas, tapas itself can vary widely by region and income have changed over history. In medieval times, widespread poverty means that the main ingredient of Tapas was bread, a cheap and readily available basis. Olives have also been favored all or a paste of bread, which is abundant in all Spain.
In rich countries, and today both, meat (ham or sausage, smoked or fresh), fish and seafood (fried or deep fried squid), dairy (cheese Spanish) and eggs (tortilla) are common constituents of Tapas. The vegetables are also important. Green beans in tomato sauce and garlic are very popular as fried eggplant and potatoes.
Tapas have endured through the ages thanks to their combination of comfort, convenience and of course they taste delicious.
