A tapa is an appetizer or small dish in Spanish cuisine that translates to a saucer size portion of any type of Spanish cuisine. Tapas may be cold (olives, cheese, sliced ham, or a small salad) or hot (fried potatoes, fried baby squid or shrimp sautéed in olive oil with garlic and chili peppers.)
A small plate of tapas costs about $3 but the price may rise if seafood is on the order. Usually you order two to three tapas for a light meal often accompanied by a cold draft beer.
Fresh sardines on crusty toast points is actually a pincho, a tapa variation named by the Basque of northern Spain.
Papas Fritas (french fries) with various sauces are ubiquitous here. Street vendors sell them in paper cones with the pervasive fragrance of deep fat frying.
Jamón ibérico de recebo: ham from acorn, pasture and compound-fed Iberian pigs, thinly sliced, on its own or in a salad.
Adorable little squid legs on a bed of fresh lettuce dressed with olive oil
Remolacha, maiz y cebolla, sounds delicioso in Spanish.
Aromatic squid ink colors this pasta black with sliced squid, pesto and a little red chili pepper
…And seafood paella, a racion or a bigger portion that may, or may not, be shared.
It all looks incredible and delicious. Are you preparing any in your kitchen there? I’m loving your posts. And thinking of you LOTS. Sending love..
xox
D
Eating out more than in this trip. Tapas is just too good.
Delicioso! My favorite tapas at the time was calamari. Not the small kind, but rather they were the size of doughnuts. I’ve never been able to order it since and have it taste like it did then. Speaking of food, are you doing a lot of cooking in your abode? Will you be showing pix of the house/apartment in a later posting? Are you pleased with your selection?
The apartment works well though it is not very photogenic. We are in a walk street which minimizes city noise considerably…this is a requirement for us since we’re used tp Eldorado where nights are dark and silent. Two grocery stores are a few minutes walk. We are in Triana just across the bridge to the Santa Cruz district of the Cathedral and the Alcazar. Triana is the more artsy neighborhood with its gypsy roots. It has an outstanding open market.