Tasty Tapas Tips
By Rick Steves
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| Hundreds of hams hang from the ceiling in a traditional Spanish tapas bar. Often, the noisiest spots are the best. |
Any time of day or night you'll see Spaniards enjoying small plates of tapas (appetizers) in bars. For me, tapas are the best thing about Spanish cuisine. Tapas are small portions, like appetizers, of seafood, salads, meat-filled pastries, deep-fried tasties, and on and on — normally displayed under glass at the bar.
Tapas typically cost about €1 up to €10 for seafood (currently about $1.20-$12). Establish the price before you order, especially if you're on a tight budget or at a possible tourist trap. Most bars push larger portions called raciones (dinner-plate-sized) rather than smaller tapas (saucer-sized). Ask for the smaller tapas portions, though some bars (especially in the north) simply don't serve anything smaller than a ración.
Eating and drinking at a bar is usually cheapest if you eat or drink at the counter (barra). You may pay a little more to eat sitting at a table (mesa) and still more for an outdoor table (terraza). Locate the price list (often posted in fine type on a wall somewhere) to know the menu options and price tiers. In the right place, a quiet snack and drink on a terrace on the town square is well worth the extra charge. But the cheapest seats sometimes get the best show. Sit at the bar and study your bartender — he's an artist.
Be assertive or you'll never be served. Por favor (please) grabs the guy's attention. Don't worry about paying until you're ready to leave (he's keeping track of your tab). To get the bill ask: "¿La cuenta?" (or la dolorosa — meaning literally "the sadness" — always draws a confused laugh). Bars come with a formidable language barrier. A small working vocabulary is essential for tapas proficiency (see below).
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| Recipe for instant romance: Order assorted tapas. Add wine. Stare gently until desired effect is achieved. |
Chasing down a particular bar for tapas nearly defeats the purpose and spirit of tapas — they are impromptu. Just drop in to any lively place. I look for the noisy spots with piles of napkins and food debris on the floor (go local and toss your trash, too), lots of locals, and the TV blaring. Popular television shows include bullfights and soccer games, American sitcoms, and Spanish interpretations of soaps and silly game shows (you'll see Vanna Blanco). While tapas are served all day, the real action begins late — 21:00 at the earliest. But for beginners, an earlier start is easier and comes with less commotion.
Get a fun, inexpensive sampler plate.
Ask for un ración de canapés variados to get a plate
of various little open-face sandwiches. Or ask for a surtido de (an
assortment of...) charcutería (a mixed plate of meat) or queso
(cheese). Un surtido de jamón y queso means a plate of different
hams and cheeses. That, bread, and two glasses of red wine on the right square
— and you've got a romantic (and $10) dinner for two.
Tasty Tapas Terms
pinchos: bite-size portions
pinchito: tiny portions
tapas: snack-size portions
raciónes: larger portions (half a meal, occasionally available as ½ raciónes)
fritos: fried
la plancha: sauteed
Quanto cuesta un tapa?: How much does one tapa cost?
aceitunas: olives
almendras: fried almonds
atun: tuna
bacalao: cod
banderilla: mini-skewer of pickled olives, peppers, carrots and onions (the "matadore's spear")
bombas: fried meat and potatoes ball
boquerones: fresh anchovies
cabrillas: snails, cheap and not as good as French escargot
calamares fritos: fried squid rings
caracoles: snails (May-Sept)
cazon en adabo: marinated white fish
champiñones: mushrooms
croquetas de…: greasy breaded balls of milky flour paste with…
empanadillas: pastries stuffed with meat or seafood
ensaladas (rusa): salads (Russian)
espinacas (con garbanzos): spinach (with garbanzo beans)
gambas (a la plancha, al ajillo): shrimp (sauteed, with garlic)
gazpacho: cold garlic soup
guiso: stew
mejillones: mussels
pan: bread
paella: safron rice dish with fish (when it appears fresh out of the kitchen, grab a little plate)
patatas bravas: fried chunks of potato with creamy tomato sauce
pescaditos fritos: assortment of fried little fish
picos: little breadsticks (free)
pimiento (relleno): peppers (stuffed)
pisto: mixed sautéed vegetables
pulpo: octopus
queso: cheese
queso manchego: sheep cheese
rabas: squid tentacles
rabo de toro: bull-tail stew
revuelto de…: scrambled eggs with…
setas: wild mushrooms
tabla serrana: could be a hearty plate of mountain meat and cheese.
tortilla de jamon/queso: potato omelet with ham/cheese
variado fritos: typical Andalusian mix of various fried fish
Meaty Words
charcuteria: cured meats
salchichon: sausage
jamón iberico: best ham, from acorn-fed baby pigs
jamón serrano: cured ham
chorizo: spicy sausage
lomo: pork
Sandwich Words
bocadillo: baguette sandwiches, cheap and basic, a tapa on bread
montadito: tiny bocadillo
pulguita: small closed-baguette sandwich
flauta: sandwich made with flute-thin baguette
pepito: yet one more word for a little sandwich
canape: tiny open-faced sandwich
sandwich (toast): Wonder-type bread (toasted) with meat and/or cheese
con jamon, queso, mixto: with ham, cheese, both
Sweet Words
flan de huevo: crème caramel
arroz con leche: rice pudding
helados: ice cream (various flavors)
fruta del tiempo: fruit in season
un queso: a cheese (also a beautiful woman)
Thirsty Words
aqua con/sin gas: water with/without bubbles
Un vaso de aqua del grifo: glass of tap water
Una jarra de agua: pitcher of tap water
refresco: soft drink
caña: small glass of draft beer
coble: tall glass of beer
tinto de la casa: red wine of the house
un tinto: a small glass of house red wine
chato: small glass of house wine
Rioja: a region known for quality red wine
tinto de verano: a lighter Sangria
mucho cuerpo: full bodied
afrutado: fruity
seco: dry
dulce: sweet
For quality wine ask for crianza (old), reserva (older) or gran reserva (oldest).
vermu: vermouth
¡Salud!: cheers!
For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Spain guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours in Spain.