Feuequito

Spaniards sit down to dinner at about the same hour as most North Americans are heading off to bed. Typically the evening meal is served between 9pm and 11pm and in some cases as late as midnight. Being a creative people, Spaniards combined their love of a relaxing glass of wine or other alcoholic treat with tasty snacks to tide them over until dinner was served. The tradition of the tapa was born.

From the simple origins of placing of ham or beef on a bit of bread, tapas now can be found in endless combinations, often with a nod to the region one happens to be visiting. Enter a bar or a local restaurant and it is very common to find a dozen varieties of these usually strongly flavoured, often garlicky snacks under glass warming trays, ready to tempt any palate. Seafood, including anchovies, sardines or mackerel in olive oil or squid in a tomato sauce are favorites, as are bits of ham or beef on warm breads, also dressed in the ever present olive oil. Whole olives, such as manzanillas and arbequinas are a must.

In some cities, such as Madrid or Extremedura or in parts of Andalucia, sometimes the order of a drink will come with a complementary tapa or two. Also in Andalucia, it has become popular for a group to make a meal out of larger portions of tapas, called racions in much the same way as Chinese dim sun is shared.

Northern Spain sometimes calls these tasty bits pinchos, or pintxos if you are in Basque country. Practical as always, the name comes from the toothpick, or the pincho that holds the snack together. Those pinchos resembling the colorful spears used in bullfighting are often called banderillas. Color coding the pinchos is a way of determining price.

Be they deep fried rings of battered squid (calimare), seasoned pork with garlic and parsley (rajo) or chorizo sausage cooked in wine (chorizo al vino), tapas are a savory bit of Spanish tradition. Find a bar, order a refreshing drink and enjoy the epicurean experience.