What is the Spanish cuisine
Tapas
Tackling this topic is difficult because of the immense breadth and depth of the Spanish cuisine. There are regional dishes and variations, ingredients galore and a long history. But I’ll be taking my cue from what you encounter as you walk around Valencia.
Probably the first thing you notice are the tapas. Tapas (the word for cover or lid) are everywhere in bars and restaurants. More than anything else, this is what Spaniards order when they go out. The servings are modest in size so you can eat multiple varieties in the course of an evening. Not that it’s a cheap way to eat anymore. Let me give you an example or two.
Peg and I went out with a group a couple of weeks ago. We went to a nearby spot. They decided as a group what to order. In a while, out came chicken croquettes (always deep fried), marinated mushrooms, patatas bravas (potatoes in a mildy spicy red sauce, about as spicy as anything gets here), some sort of chicken fingers, and a couple of other dishes. You can get slices of manchego (sheep cheese) marinated in olive oil, anchovies, calarmi frito (fried), red peppers, green peppers, tortialla española (potato omlette), patatas alioi (potatoes in a garlic mayonnaise sauce), various ways of stuffing eggs eg with tuna. The list is endless. These are run between 3.50 ($5.00) and 8.00 euros ($11) a pop. Our modest repast with our friends cost us 20 euros ($28) including beer, which runs about $5 a pint. It is not exactly a cheap night out and we were not exactly full either, but was fun- it is always fun. Another night went to a bar near our first apartment (we call it the green bar, near the Torres Serrano) and we spent 40 euros for 4 although this included a bottle of wine for 8 euros ($11).
We remember it being cheap in Madrid when we were living there, late 1998-May 1999. They’d give you some olives with your beer. The beer was maybe .75, now over $2.00 for a caña, which is about 8 oz so, very small, and $5 a pint. I am talking ordinary beer, nothing fancy. And at that time in Madrid you could get an order, una raciòn, of say patatas bravas for maybe $1, as much as $2 in a fancy place. In one place where we used to go for a beer in Madrid they gave you a small plate of paella. We do not get much free here, although there are a few such places still.
Tapas and the cuisine in general are heavy on the olive oil and often on the garlic as well (noticeable but never biting). There are a lot of deep fried items amongst tapas, but less so in the other meals.
Because we are close to the sea here, there is perhaps a greater prevalence of seafood. In the tapas bars you see gambas (shrimp), bocarones (small fish) and sardinias (you can figure this one out) and octopus usually in a vinegar based sauce but perhaps fried also. These days you find fish all over Spain, even fresh, of course, but there is more and greater variety on the coasts.
Tapas are about having fun as much as eating. You sit in bars, outside on the sidewalk as much as inside, for the weather permits outdoor seating year round. Your friends join you and you talk about your week, the economy, politics. Or whatever.
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Thanks for the tapas tutorial! I never did get the hang of the whole tapas thing the month or so I was travelling in Spain all those light-years ago: now I know why. I had assumed that tapas-eating was a cheap alternative to eating an entire sit-down meal, and never found it so, and therefore gave it up (the $ per morsel just didn’t make sense to me). Reluctantly gave it up, as those morsels were pretty tasty! But I was on a tight budget, so tapas was out for me. Since then, friends have gone out for tapas several times in Atlanta, and not only has it been hugely expensive, but most people always go for the MEAT choices, so I end up paying more than what I consider my fair share for all the fun that’s supposed to be involved in the choosing and the sampling and the sharing, etc. Maybe I should try again, but only with other would-be vegetarians… Anyway, thanks for clearing up the question of whether or not this is a bargain-way to eat one’s away across Spain. The guidebooks seem to focus on the novelty and variety of it, not ye expense!
We remember it being cheap in Madrid when we were there. They’d give you some olives with your beer. In one place where we used to go for a beer they gave you a small place of paella. We do not get much free here, although there are a few such places still. The beer was maybe .75, now over $2.00 for a caña, which is about 8 oz so very small, $5 a pint. I am talking ordinary beer, nothing fancy. And you could get an order, una raciòn, for maybe $1, as much as $2.
There are meat based tapas here, example those ham croquettes. You get serrano ham on bocadillos, which are basic sandwiches, so they aren’t tapas though you could order them at the same time. Montaditos are more in the tapas area. Things mounted on a piece of bread. You could get some chorizo. But its more veg and seafood, some cheese.
Thanks for the tapas tutorial! I never did get the hang of the whole tapas thing the month or so I was travelling in Spain all those light-years ago: now I know why. I had assumed that tapas-eating was a cheap alternative to eating an entire sit-down meal, and never found it so, and therefore gave it up (the $ per morsel just didn’t make sense to me). Reluctantly gave it up, as those morsels were pretty tasty! But I was on a tight budget, so tapas was out for me. Since then, friends have gone out for tapas several times in Atlanta, and not only has it been hugely expensive, but most people always go for the MEAT choices, so I end up paying more than what I consider my fair share for all the fun that’s supposed to be involved in the choosing and the sampling and the sharing, etc. Maybe I should try again, but only with other would-be vegetarians… Anyway, thanks for clearing up the question of whether or not this is a bargain-way to eat one’s away across Spain. The guidebooks seem to focus on the novelty and variety of it, not ye expense!
We remember it being cheap in Madrid when we were there. They’d give you some olives with your beer. In one place where we used to go for a beer they gave you a small place of paella. We do not get much free here, although there are a few such places still. The beer was maybe .75, now over $2.00 for a caña, which is about 8 oz so very small, $5 a pint. I am talking ordinary beer, nothing fancy. And you could get an order, una raciòn, for maybe $1, as much as $2.
There are meat based tapas here, example those ham croquettes. You get serrano ham on bocadillos, which are basic sandwiches, so they aren’t tapas though you could order them at the same time. Montaditos are more in the tapas area. Things mounted on a piece of bread. You could get some chorizo. But its more veg and seafood, some cheese.
What a great idea. In fact, am looking forward to the forth-coming recipes. For example: the one that you have a picture up of. We found a great tapas restaurant here in Panama City last visit, and relatively close to the hotel. Ate ourselves to ovefull – not really the purpose, but they were so good.
Well, the thing about tapas, you can make a healthy meal of them! Wish I had found that tapas place in Panama City!
What a great idea. In fact, am looking forward to the forth-coming recipes. For example: the one that you have a picture up of. We found a great tapas restaurant here in Panama City last visit, and relatively close to the hotel. Ate ourselves to ovefull – not really the purpose, but they were so good.
Well, the thing about tapas, you can make a healthy meal of them! Wish I had found that tapas place in Panama City!
I sure enjoyed that little excursion into world of “tapas”…glad you gave the visuals…
Hey, it resurrected! Gosh, if I only knew how to really operate a computer..
I sure enjoyed that little excursion into world of “tapas”…glad you gave the visuals…
Hey, it resurrected! Gosh, if I only knew how to really operate a computer..