What is 'tapas' I have heard of it, is it a food?!


Question: Tapas is an old Spanish word for 'hat'.In days of old when beers were cold in Spain there was always the perenial enemy of the pint the common house fly,which of course inevitably ended up doing the backstroke in your beer.So the landlady of the establishment baked little pastry hats(Tapas) that you could put on the top of the glass to keepout the flies.When you had finished your beer you could then,if you wished 'eat your hat' .This has evolved nowadays of course into being offered lots of delicious tidbits with your libation which I'm sure you'll agree is a great Spanish custom.


Answers: Tapas is an old Spanish word for 'hat'.In days of old when beers were cold in Spain there was always the perenial enemy of the pint the common house fly,which of course inevitably ended up doing the backstroke in your beer.So the landlady of the establishment baked little pastry hats(Tapas) that you could put on the top of the glass to keepout the flies.When you had finished your beer you could then,if you wished 'eat your hat' .This has evolved nowadays of course into being offered lots of delicious tidbits with your libation which I'm sure you'll agree is a great Spanish custom.

yeah its spanish food

It's basically Spanish bar "munchies" it's not a specific dish. It's like lot's of restaurant starters or a sushi bar.

Its yummy finger food, little bowls of olives and other spanish delicacies, its lush! And it gives you a chance to try all sorts of weird and wonderful goodies :)

I think they are appetizers from Spain.

Tapas is the name for a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine

"Tapas" is Spanish for small plates. A tapas restaurant serves only small plates - it's cool because you can get to taste alot of different things without having too much of a heavy meal.

it's spanish and can be anything really
tapas are various small foods eaten with bread
some examples: curried chicken, seafood salad, tuna salad, sword fish, grilled veggies.....

Google is your friend

spanish cuisine

yes it is a type of spanish 'meal'

go to this website if you want recipes for this kind of food

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/food/recip...

http://www.tapas-recipes.com/

Tapas is the name for a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold, such as mixed olives and cheese, or warm, such as puntillitas, Andalusian battered, fried baby squid. In the United States and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine; at Spanish restaurants, patrons may order many different small tapas, and combine them for a full meal.

Tapas is a Spanish term for a light meal or snack. They have "Tapa Bars" in Spain where you can go "Tapa hopping" from one to the next. It is basically like an appetizer. The different tapas I have had are bread with chicken or vegetables on top and broiled calamari. There is a restaurant chain called Jaleo that is a tapa restaurant. So, yes, it is a food and perfect for a late night stop after the movies or something. Enjoy and bon appetit!

food in Spanish bars,they have small dishes with different bits of food and you take your pick and they heat it up or serve it for a few coppers.

Tapas are a traditional Spanish way of eating. The Spaniards like to eat very late. Dinner typically starts around 11 at night or midnight. (Really, you can be in a fine restaurant at 9:30pm and be the only people there because you are too early.) This leads to a lot of snacking in the late afternoon and early evening. Hence, tapas or small plates.

The name comes from "tapar", to cover. Legend has it that bartenders used to cover sherry with toast to keep the flies away from the sweet wine. Then, in a spirit of competition, other nibbles were placed on the bread. Olives, anchovies, cheese, a bit of fried squid, etc. Pretty soon you have the bars offering a variety of foods next to, instead of on top of, the wine.

It works for me.

Spanish food. They're like lots of little starters or a Greek Mezze. They can be hot, warm or cold.
Examples are: Olives, potatoes fried in garlic, sausage, cooked peppers etc

Tapas is the name for a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold, such as mixed olives and cheese, or warm, such as puntillitas, Andalusian battered, fried baby squid. In the United States and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine; at Spanish restaurants, patrons may order many different small tapas, and combine them for a full meal.

It's from Spain. The word "tapas" mean little bites.

According to legend, the tapa tradition began when Castile's King Alfonso the Wise recovered from an illness by drinking wine and nibbling small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered taverns to serve their guests food along with wine and the tapas became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to drink.

I think it's like a sandwich.

It's basically small appetizers used in Spanish restaurants

is the name for a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold, such as mixed olives and cheese, or warm, such as puntillitas, Andalusian battered, fried baby squid. In the United States and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine; at Spanish restaurants, patrons may order many different small tapas, and combine them for a full meal.

It is a sort of platter of small dishes - lots of different kinds and depending on where you go you either pay for what you have eaten or pay for the whole lot. Lots of different snacks really.

Spanish food consisting of lots of small (ish) dishes. Great for sharing , if there's a few of you

It's small portions of food served either hot or cold in Spanish bars. It was invented in Andalucia and the word mean "cover". The story goes back to when bartenders would cover bottles with bread or toast to keep the flies away then people would eat the bread with olives that were always on the bar.
Go to this site for more information:-
www.andaluscia.com/taste/tapas/home/ht...

Tapas are great for parties and easy to prepare.

Hope this helps and have a good weekend ;-)

Tapas is when you go to a reastraunt n you order like 3 or 4 dishes per person n they are ded small but u can eat loads

yes-a load of rubbish

no, its a dubious tradition engaged in by lewd spaniards & mexicans...closely related to the british bum-fondle, but swifter and more covert...!

Tapas are snacks, canapés or finger food. Tapas come in many different forms and can vary from town to town!

Tapas can be practically anything from a chunk of tuna, cocktail onion and an olive skewered on a long toothpick to meat with sauce served piping hot in a miniature clay dish. They are served day in and day out in every bar and café in Spain. So much a part of the culture and social scene that the Spanish people invented the verb tapear which means to go and eat tapasTapas are snacks, canapés or finger food. Tapas come in many different forms and can vary from town to town!

Having lived in Mallorca for nearly 5 years, this is an easy question to answere;

Tapas are small tasters of many different types of food and each region in Spain, Balearics and Grand Canaries have their own speciality tapas. They range from a typical spanish omlette made from potatoes, egg and onion mixed together to form a largish pie shape, and cut into small wedge portions. To various meats cooked with local herbs and vegetables, including squid and octopus. All presented with normally a local wine or beer, So yes is the answere Tapas is food.

spanish nibbles yummy!





The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources