The Sierras Magazine, Castril

I love beer, and wine for that matter!  Especially here as most of the time a plate of tapa is served with either.   I have been visiting Spain for about 11 years now but always down on the coast, where tapas is readily available, but is actually quite expensive to buy and to be honest I was never really sure what I was ordering. 

I was unaware when I first moved here that tapas (in most bars) is served free of charge, and was pleasantly surprised when a plate of prawns was placed on the table the first time I ordered a beer in Castril and at no extra cost!  It does have its negatives though, there is nothing worse than having plates of tapas on the table and everyone going, what is it?  I’m not eating that etc...etc.  My brother a vegetarian definitely struggles.  I’ve been known to empty the plates into a carrier bag (for my dog of course) rather than offend the bar man.  Brains on bread was one of those times.  Don’t get me wrong I eat most things but I do like to know what I’m eating.  And brains on bread looked a cross between scrambled head (of course I mean egg and tuna fish) looked quite appealing but the thought of eating it turned my stomach. 

Not really knowing the history of tapas and hearing various stories on how it originated, I thought I would look into it.  And there are many theories.

One being that tapa originated due to the Spanish King Alfonso the 10th, the Wise.  Being ill and to improve his appetite he would take small bites of food with wine.  There is a Spanish proverb comiendo, comiendo el apetito se va abriendo — appetite increases with constant eating.  Once the king had recovered, he decreed that no wine could be served in any of the bars of Castile unless accompanied by a snack to eat.  This also helped counteract the problem of drinking on an empty stomach.  As many of the poor people in Spain chose a tipple over food!

Another theory is that the unions of farmers and other workers encouraged the eating of small amounts of food during work time to sustain them until lunch at 2.  This main meal was then rich in fat, so difficult to digest, which then resulted in a siesta.  Longer working hours in the morning meant a lesser workload in the afternoon.  The wine served with tapas induced a mellow mood (we all know Mañana, don’t we) and increased strength.  It also helped to warm the body against the cold of winter when out working the land.

The word tapa actually means lid or cover so this following theory kind of makes sense.  When a glass of wine was served a slice of ham or cheese was place on the top, firstly to keep away the flies and secondly to soak up the alcohol.  Someone once said to me, the Spanish don’t understand us English, drinking without eating, it makes sense, a nice plate of tapa certainly beats a bag of dry roasted.

Another King, Alfonso XII had a cup of sherry one day while sunbathing in Cadiz, the waiter covered his glass again with a slice of cured ham, this time to protect it from the beach sand, as supposedly Cadiz is very windy!

In the 16th century some cheeky bar owners, handed out very mature cheese as the strong smell and taste helped to disguise the fact the wine they were serving was cheap and nasty!  One coastal town had a surplus of fish, taverns gave it away with drinks to sell more wine, served on a piece of wax paper that tapaba (covered) the glass.  The theories go on and I’m sure every area of Spain has it’s own idea as to where this little snack originated from.

Tapas can be split into three groups, dependant on the ease of eating it:  Cosas de picar (things to nibble), finger food like olives (of which there are many - green, mazanilla, machacades—crushed, gordales—big, rellenas–stuffed, aliñades-flavoured or deshuesadas-stoneless), almonds and tomatoes covered in oil and salt (simple but delicious).

Pinchos require a utensil, often a toothpick (banderillas-decorated toothpicks that look like the darts in a bullfight).  Cazuelas (little dishes) are sauce based tapas for example meatballs or pork.  And delicious to dip your bread into!

A few terms that may come in handy are:

Ración  which is a large portion of tapas, enough to share with a few friends.

Media Ración which is half a ración but bigger than a tapa.

Banderilla is usually a few small morsels that are usually cold or pickled.

Montadito is a small roll or piece of bread topped with a sausage, ham, tuna etc.

Whenever I order a beer I seem to get a tubo or tanque while if I see a Spanish lady drinking beer she normally has a Caña which is half that of a tanque—my local barman obviously knows me well!  Other drinks to complement your tapa are Amontillado which is a medium dry, nutty tasting sherry, Fino is a pale dry sherry from Jerez, served chilled and good with seafood and Manzanilla  a dry, delicate, faintly salty sherry and obviously vino, literally wine, normally red here in Andalusia.

Essentially tapas is based on simple recipes, using seasonal vegetables and local ingredients which are fresh and full of flavour.  Each region of Spain, each bar probably has its own special dish.  All delicious, if sometimes a little different to what we are used to.

A very simple and not too adventurous tapa and a change from chips

Potatas Bravas

• 2 or 3 potatoes
• Olive oil to fry
• 3 medium full-grown tomatoes
• 1 tsp. of spicy ground red pepper or chilli powder
• Vinegar
• 1 tsp. of flour
• Salt

 Peel the potatoes and cut them into small pieces, then fry, on a low heat.

Once cooked, drain the potatoes.  To make the tomato sauce add a spoon of oil to the pan and then fry the deseeded and peeled tomatoes, squashing them. When cooked, add a few drops of vinegar, a teaspoon of flour and another teaspoon of spicy ground pepper and stir.  Season to taste and pour over the potatoes.

Tortilla—Spanish omelet

·  1/2 kg. Potatoes

·  1 onion

·  4 eggs

·  1 Tbsp. olive oil

·  Salt

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes.  Dice the onion into small pieces and add to the potatoes frying in a generous amount of olive oil, over a low heat, remove carefully and drain well. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and mix with the potatoes.  Leaving for a few minutes allowing the potatoes to absorb the egg.  Heat a pan with a tbsp. of oil and then pour the mixture into the pan, and cook over a low heat letting it thicken, at this point you can be clever and use another pan or lid to flip it over or, if your pan allows, you can stick it under the grill to cook the top. 

This recipe allows for experiment and other ingredients can be added, mushrooms, spinach, ham whatever to add your own twist to this Spanish tradition.