Puntillitas, battered and fried baby squid

Tapas (IPA: [ˈtapas]) 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 Spain (mainly in the southern half of the country), tapas are usually given for free to accompany a drink before lunch or dinner. 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. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1276x866, 623 KB) Summary Puntillitas, a typical Andalusian tapa. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1276x866, 623 KB) Summary Puntillitas, a typical Andalusian tapa. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Crudités variés, a typical hors d’œuvre in French cuisine Hors d’œuvre in Bosnian cuisine Hors d’œuvre, (IPA: French but often in English as ; French plural: hors d’œuvre, without an extra s; English plural often hors d’œuvres), also known as appetizer(s), refer to... Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. ... Binomial name L. 19th century illustration The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Lebanon and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. ... Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals. ... Andalucian cuisine is rather varied, corresponding to a region that is itself extensive and varied. ... Batter is a thick or thin liquid mixture, usually based on flour, water or milk, and egg. ... Plantains frying in vegetable oil. ... Suborders †Plesioteuthididae (incertae sedis) Myopsina Oegopsina Squid are a large, diverse group of marine cephalopods. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

History

According to The Joy of Cooking, the original tapas were the slices of bread that sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. But soon, enterprising bartenders were putting small snacks on the bread, and the lowly tapa (derived from the word tapar, "to cover") became as important as the sherry. The Joy of Cooking is one of the worlds most-published cookbooks, having been in print continuously since 1936. ...

Tapas evolved over Spain's history through the incorporation of ingredients and influences from many different cultures and countries. The east coast was invaded by the Romans, who introduced the olive and irrigation methods. The invasion of the North African Moors in the 8th century also brought olives to the south, as well as almonds, citrus fruits and fragrant spices. The influence of their 700-year presence remains today, especially in Andalusia. The discovery of the New World brought the introduction of tomatoes, sweet and chili peppers (capsicums), corn, beans and potatoes. These were readily accepted and easily grown in Spain's micro-climates. Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil. ... The Moors are the Muslim African and Arab inhabitants of the western Mediterranean and western Sahara, including the Maghreb (the coastal and mountain lands of present day Morocco and Algeria, and Tunisia although Tunisia often is separately called Ifriqiya after the former Roman province of Africa); al-Andalus (the former... External links Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Spice Food Bacteria-Spice Survey Shows Why Some Cultures Like It Hot Citat: ...Garlic, onion, allspice and oregano, for example, were found to be the best all-around bacteria killers (they kill everything). ... Motto: Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia by herself, for Spain, and for humankind) Capital Seville Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87,268 km²  17. ... Binomial name Solanumlycopersicum Linnaeus ref. ... Compact orange pepper plants in the genus Capsicum. ... The chile pepper (also chili or chilli; from Spanish chile) is the fruit of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family (Solanaceae). ... Capsicum is a genus of plants from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to Mexico, and now cultivated worldwide. ... This article is on the plant. ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, grown for its starchy tuber. ...

Etymology

Tapa means "lid" or "cover" in Spanish. There are several explanations for the etymology of "tapa": Not to be confused with Entomology, the scientific study of insects. ...

• A commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies; at some point it became a habit to top this "cover" with a snack.
• It is also commonly said that since one would be standing while eating a tapa in traditional Spanish bars, they would need to place their plates on top of their drinks in order to eat, making it a top.
• Some experts believe that the name originated sometime around the 16th century when tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine, thus "covering" it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine.
• Another popular explanation says that the king Alfonso XII stopped by a famous venta (inn) in Cádiz (Andalusian city) where he ordered a cup of sherry. The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The king, after drinking his wine and eating the tapa, ordered another sherry "with the same cover".

Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Wikispecies has information related to: Diptera True flies are insects of the Order Diptera (Greek: di = two, and pteron = wing), possessing a single pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax. ... Categories: Castile-La Mancha | Autonomous communities of Spain ... Alfonso XII of Spain (November 28, 1857 _ November 25, 1885), was king of Spain, reigning from 1875 to 1885, after a coup detat restored the monarchy and ended the ephemeral First Spanish Republic. ... Location Location of Cádiz Coordinates : Time Zone : General information Native name Cádiz (Spanish) Spanish name Cádiz Postal code – Website http://www. ... Sherry solera For other uses, see Sherry (disambiguation). ...

Tapas in Spain

In Spain, dinner is usually served between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. (sometimes as late as 12 midnight), leaving significant time between work and dinner. Therefore, Spaniards often go "bar hopping" (Spanish: Ir de tapas) and eat tapas in the time between finishing work and having dinner. Since lunch is usually served between 2 and 4 p.m., another common time for tapas is weekend days around noon as a means of socializing before lunch proper at home. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

It is very common for a bar or a small local restaurant to have 8 to 12 different kinds of tapas in warming trays with glass partitions covering the food. They are often very strongly flavored with garlic, chilies or paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, saffron and sometimes in plentiful amounts of olive oil. Often one or more of the choices is seafood (mariscos), often including anchovies, sardines or mackerel in olive oil, squid or others in a tomato based sauce, sometimes with the addition of red or green peppers or other seasoning. It is rare to see a tapas selection not include one or more types of olives, such as manzanilla or arbequina olives. One or more types of bread are usually available to eat with any of the sauce-based tapas. Spaghetti with seafood (Spaghetti allo scoglio). ... {{Taxobox classis = Actinopterygii | ordo = Clupeiformes | familia = Engraulidae | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = Amazonsprattus Anchoa Anchovia Anchiovella Cetengraulis Coilia Encrasicholina Engraulis Jurengraulis Lycengraulis Lycothrissa Papuengraulis Pterengraulis Setipinna Stolephorus Thryssa }} The anchovies are a family large but uncommon schooling saltwater plankton-feeding fish. ... Sardines in the Pacific An open Sardines can Sardines on a plate grilled Sardines For the hide and seek-like game, see Hide and seek. ... Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. ... Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive (Olea europaea), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. ... Binomial name L. Synonyms Lycopersicon lycopersicum Lycopersicon esculentum Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Seasoning is the process of adding flavours, or enhancing natural flavour of any type of food. ... Manzanilla is a variety of sherry made around the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda. ... Arbequina olives are a small, brown olive grown in Catalonia, Spain. ...

In the northern Spanish city of León, in Asturias, in Extremadura, and in parts of Andalusia, when you go to a bar and order a drink, you get a tapa for free. This happens mostly in the province of Jaén, Granada, Almería but it is not very common in the rest of Andalusia, where you generally have to pay for both the drink and the tapa. Sometimes, especially in Northern Spain, they're also called pinchos (spelled pintxos in Basque) in the Basque Country and in some provinces like Salamanca. They're called that because many of them have a pincho, or toothpick, through them. The toothpick is used to keep whatever the snack is made of from falling off the bread it has been attached to and to keep track of the number of tapas the customer has eaten. Differently priced tapas have different shape or size toothpicks. Tapa price ranges from 1.00 to 1.50 euros. Another name for them is banderillas (diminutive of bandera "flag"), in part because some of them resemble the colorful skewers used in bullfighting. The city of León (Llión in the Leonese language), located at 42. ... Jaén province Jaén is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. ... Granada province Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. ... A pincho (literally means thorn) or pintxo (in Basque) is a small slice of bread upon which an ingredient or mixture of ingredients are put and held there using a stick. ... Wood toothpicks A Toothpick A toothpick is a piece of plastic or other substance such as wood (in this case it may be known as an interdental woodstick) used to remove detritus from the teeth, usually after a meal. ... Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... “EUR” redirects here. ... A skewer is also a tactic in chess. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In Andalusia, tapas can be "upgraded" to bigger portions, equivalent to half a dish (media ración) or a whole one (ración). This is generally more economical when a tapa is being ordered by more than one person. The portions are usually shared by diners, and a meal made up of raciones resembles a Middle Eastern mezze or Chinese dim sum. Mezes (pl. ... Dim sum (Chinese: 點心; Cantonese IPA: dɪm2sɐm1; Pinyin: diǎnxīn; Wade-Giles: tien-hsin; literally dot heart or order heart, meaning order to ones hearts content; also commonly translated as touch the heart, dotted heart, or snack), a Cantonese term...

Common dishes

Calamares tapas.

Aceitunas

Olives

Albóndigas

Meatballs

Allioli

Meaning "Garlic and oil" in Catalan (the classic ingredients are only garlic, oil and salt, but the common form of it is Mayonnaise and garlic) a very strong garlic paste. Served on bread or with potatoes, fish, meat or grilled vegetables.

Calamares

Rings of battered squid.

Carne mechada.

Cojonuda. (Superb female)

It is a kind of 'pincho'. It consists of a slice of Spanish morcilla with a fried quail egg over a slice of bread. It is very common to see it in Burgos because Spanish morcilla is also called morcilla de Burgos.

Cojonudo. (Superb male)

It is a kind of 'pincho'. It consists of a slice of Spanish chorizo with a fried quail egg over a slice of bread.

Chorizo al vino

Chorizo sausage slowly cooked in wine.

Croquetas

Croquettes are a common sight on bar counters and in homes across Spain, served as a tapa, light lunch, or a dinner along with a salad.

Ensaladilla rusa

Mixed boiled vegetables with tuna, olives and mayonnaise.

Gambas

Prawns sauteed in salsa negra (peppercorn sauce), al ajillo (with garlic), or pil-pil (with chopped chili peppers).

Pincho moruno

A spicy kebab-like stick, made of pork or chicken meat. Its name means 'Moorish Stick'.

Patatas bravas

Fried potato dices (sometimes part-boiled and then fried, or simply boiled) served with salsa brava, a spicy tomato sauce. Alioli is often served with it too.

Puntillitas

Battered and fried baby squid.

Queso con anchoas

Castilla or Manchego cured cheese with anchovies on top.

Rajo

Pork meat seasoned with garlic and parsley. A variety with added paprika is called Zorza.

Solomillo a la castellana

Fried pork scallops, served with an onion and/or Cabrales cheese sauce

Solomillo al whisky, or al güisqui

Fried pork scallops, marinated using whisky, brandy or white wine and olive oil.

Tortilla de patatas, also known as Tortilla española

A type of omelette containing fried chunks of potatoes and sometimes onion. A variety containing vegetables and chorizo (similar to frittata) is known as Tortilla paisana.

Tortillitas de camarones

Battered-prawn fritters.

Stuffed Mussels (Tigres)

In Bilbao, these stuffed mussels are called tigres ("tigers") because of their fieriness.

Image File history File linksMetadata Calamares_tapas. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Calamares_tapas. ... Suborders Myopsina Oegopsina Squid are a large, diverse group of marine cephalopods. ... Binomial name L. 19th century illustration The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Lebanon and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. ... See MeatballWiki for the article about the wiki about communities. ... Allioli (from all i oli, Catalan/Valencian for garlic and oil, pronounced ah-yee-OH-lee, IPA ) is a typical paste of Valencia and Catalonia. ... Binomial name L. Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. ... Catalan can refer to: Catalan people Catalan language An inhabitant of Catalonia A Catalan speaker, whether or not from Catalonia proper (see Catalan Countries). ... Mayonnaise made in a food processor with an assortment of standard ingredients Mayonnaise is a thick sauce made primarily from vegetable oil and egg yolks. ... Suborders Myopsina Oegopsina Squid are a large, diverse group of marine cephalopods. ... Morcilla is Spanish for blood sausage, and is prepared for the matanza in Spain and the asado in South America. ... The cathedral Our Lady of Burgos. ... Chorizo Portuguese chouriços (left) Chorizo (IPA: [tʃoriθo] or [tʃoɹɪso]) is a term encompassing several types of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula and known as chouriço in Portugal, which have in common the use of dried, smoked red peppers (pimentón/piment... Chorizo Portuguese chouriços (left) Chorizo (IPA: [tʃoriθo] or [tʃoɹɪso]) is a term encompassing several types of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula and known as chouriço in Portugal, which have in common the use of dried, smoked red peppers (pimentón/piment... Cylindrical croquettes. ... A shoal of skipjack tuna Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... Suborders Not necessary complete list: Aristeidae Penaeidae Sergestidae Sicyoniidae Solenoceridae Nematocarcinidae Atyidae Pasiphaeoidae Rhynocinetidae Campylonotidae Palaemonidae Alpheidae Ogyrididae Hippolytidae Proussidae Pandalidae Crangonidae True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans usually classified in the suborder Natantia, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Sauté [V. saw-tay] is a method of cooking food a small amount of fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. ... Left to right: Chenjeh Kabab, Kabab Koobideh, Jujeh Kabab in an Afghan restaurant. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Manchego cheese is a sheeps milk cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain. ... Two halves of pork being delivered Pork is the culinary name for meat from pigs. ... Binomial name L. Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Capsicum fruit which comes in various shapes and colours can be used to make paprika. ... Cabrales is a municipality (conceyu) in the autonomous community of Asturias, northwestern Spain. ... A glass of whisky Whisky (Scottish Gaelic: }, or whiskey (Irish: ), refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks (generally oak). ... A bottle of calvados Pays DAuge Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—burnt wine[1]) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. ... This article is about the beverage. ... A portion of tortilla Full tortilla de patatas Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Spanish Omelette Tortilla de patatas (Spanish for potato omelette, but sometimes also referred to as Spanish omelette in English) is a popular dish in Spain that can be served either cold or hot. ... For other uses, see Potato (disambiguation). ... Frittata A frittata is a type of Italian omelette that frequently features fillings such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. ... An apple fritter Malaysian roadside fritters A fritter is any kind of food coated in batter and deep fried. ... La Muy Noble y Muy Leal e Invicta (The most noble and most loyal and undefeated) Location Location of Bilbao in Spain and Biscay Coordinates : 43,15° n. ...

Tapas in the United States and the United Kingdom

Upscale tapas restaurants are common in developed cities of the United States and the United Kingdom, where a selection of tapas are typically served as a main course. As with any cuisine exported from its original country, there can be significant differences between the original Spanish dishes and the dishes served abroad.

Tapas in the Philippines

The Philippines was a Spanish colony for nearly 400 years, from 1521 until 1898. Filipinos adapted many Spanish words into the local language, including tapa. But nowadays tapa in the Philippines bears little resemblance to the original Spanish meaning. It is specifically a traditional dish of salt-cured beef, somewhat similar to American-style beef jerky. The name Jerky comes from the Quechua term charki, meaning dried meat. ...

Today, Filipino tapa (mostly made with beef; occasionally with venison or wild boar meat) is fried and eaten as a full meal, usually for breakfast, with garlic fried rice and fried eggs, along with a chili-vinegar dip. On its own, beef tapa is crisp-fried and served as a proper Spanish-style tapas, i.e. with alcoholic drinks, in many bars, restaurants and homes. Leg of venison on apple sauce with dumplings and vegetables Venison is meat of the family Cervidae. ...

The concept of Spanish tapas—eating little plates of food with alcoholic beverages—has a long tradition in the Philippines. Indeed, no Filipino would ever think of having drinks without at least 4 or 5 plates of different pulutan or pica-pica (Filipino tapas). Philippine cuisine has evolved over several centuries, influenced by East Asian, Indian, Chinese, Arabian, Japanese, Malay, Spanish and American cooking. ...

Interestingly, some common pulutan in the Philippines have a distinctly Spanish orientation: gambas al ajillo, calamares (deep-fried breaded squid), mushrooms in olive oil and garlic, caldereta (Filipinized Spanish beef or goat stew), and other more elaborate presentations.

External links

• About.com Guide to Tapas in Spain.
• El mundo de las Tapas. History and recipes in Spanish and English
• Tapas in Madrid.