Tapas – try it, share it, love it!

Just around the corner from our apartment is one of the finest Tapas restaurants we have come across, its Hell’s Sausages are fantastic, the chef brings them to your table and pours brandy over them, then sets them on fire It’s always busy and on some evenings you really struggle to get a table.

So what’s the big deal with Tapas? What’s its all about?

The answer to that is quite simple, Tapas is fundamentally at the heart of the Spanish and Tenerife life style.

Tapa were traditionally small individual dishes or snacks that were sold to provide a light snack during the day or starters to an evening meal. The word Tapas literaly means lid or top and it is believed it comes from the old custom of placing a piece of bread or meat over a glass in the form of a top to keep the flies away! This edable top was known as a Tapa.

There is as much variety in Tapas as there are individual Tapas restaurants. Most specialize in their own dishes which can include Salads, Meat or Fish. They can be served either hot or cold and are often served on small dishes and eaten with bread.

If you venture into a traditional Tenerife Tapas bar during the day, you will see many locals stood at the bar, eating, joking and generally enjoying their Tapa and their drinks. This is what is meant by the Tapas being a way of life.

On a recent trip to Tenerife, I was lucky enough to be invited to have lunch with my Spanish diving buddy that day. We went to a traditional Tapas bar on the outskirts of Las Galletas, quite near to the harbor. This was no tourist Tapas, no - this was traditional Tenerife Tapas. Good honest food, I had some Carne con Papas ( a Meat and potatoe thick stew), it was beautiful, my dive buddy had Pulpo (Octopus) and Atun en salsa Rojo (Tuna in Red Sauce). We both stood at the bar, eating and discussing the mornings dive. Drinking our strong coffee, I truly felt like a local.

Tapas – try it, share it, you’ll love it!