I love Tapas... it is such a fun, social way to eat really great food.
We at Madfish are rolling out our new Tapas-style Tasting Menu this week, and I thought it would be fun to delve into the history of Tapas.
Tapas are appetizer-like dishes that originated in Spain. They can be snacks, small plates, finger food... and they can be made of just about anything. In Spain, just about every bar carries tapas. Some serve one complimentary with each drink, and some offer an array for purchase. Tapas are said to keep the Spanish fueled when going from bar to bar before lunch and especially before their late dinner.
Tapas, as a cuisine, is seen as social. Parties order numerous plates for the whole table to share. Instead of being focused on only the meal in front of you, tapas allows you to openly converse while sharing something delicious with friends.
Tapa means 'cover' in Spanish, and it is said that the original tapas were slices of bread or meat placed as a cover on top of a drink (wine or sherry) in order to protect it from fruit flies. An extension of this idea is that people often stand at Spanish bars, and they needed somewhere to place their plates while eating their tapa. They placed their small plates on top of their drinks, creating a lid, or cover.
A more folkloric explanation of tapas involves King Alfonso X (some sources cite King Alfonso XII of Castile.) It is said that he ordered a cup of sherry at a popular inn on a windy day in the port city of Cádiz. His waiter covered the cup with a slice of cured ham to protect the sherry from the beach sand, and from then on King Alfonso ordered his sherry 'with the cover.'
In recent years, tapas has become popular cuisine all over the world. Tapas restaurants and bars in the United States often follow the traditional Spanish influence, but there are many that create their own tapas style. In our own Sarasota, Ceviche is a popular traditional Spanish tapas bar, and is located in a beautiful building downtown. In Savannah, GA there is a tapas bar called Jazz'd which hosts a more eclectic menu and features many southern specialties. If you are ever in Savannah, please check it out... the food and the atmosphere are both amazing!
As I mentioned earlier in this post, Madfish's new Tasting Menu is a tapas-style small plate menu. We first introduced this menu last summer and, due to its popularity, decided to reincarnate it this summer. The appetizer-sized plates may be purchase individually for $7.33 each, or 3 plates for $18.99. I will post pictures and a more extensive explanation of this new menu soon!
Until next time... Ciao!
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