Tapas are "small plates" or "small bites". It could be an appetizers but it is really like having a full meal of many different plates of food. This style of dining is good with wine and a small group of friends.

granteralus marked this as a good answer

If I remember correctly tapas were primarily used to cover glasses from insects (the name comes from the word tapar which means to cover). This is not the case anymore, but most bars in Spain give out some sort of free tapas to encourage people from drinking more (these things are salty). In Vietnam some places also give you free salted peanuts for example.

A great experience in Spain involves bar-hopping and sampling all the tapas that the bars have to offer. By the end of the night you will have eaten the equivalent of a regular meal.

The word tapas is used rather liberally these days because many other countries have foods that bear resemblances to tapas. Some examples that come to mind are the Lebanese mezze and the Vietnamese Hue cuisine. Hue food is technically all main dishes, but the portions are so small that they might as well be tapas.

So to answer your question, tapas are not technically appetizers, but some restaurants do that anyway. Actually antipasto could be ordered as tapas in Spain (and of course Italy), but it is also served as an appetizer in most restaurants over there.

I could not say better than Guadal...
Mucha gracias...
At La Salsa, yu can have some french way
not same Mi Madre but ok
Tapas is summer in the plate

granteralus marked this as a good answer

Guadalquivir is right. That is perhaps the most famous story behind the history of Spanish tapas; it was even narrated to me when I made the rounds of the tavernas in Spain, when I spent some time there.

But there is also the story that the custom of eating tapas can be traced to a Spanish King, Alonso the Wise. He had a medical condition that required him to take small bites of food with some wine between meals. After he recovered from his medical condition, he decreed that no wine was to be served in any of the inns in the land of Castile unless accompanied by something to eat. In the mind of Alfonso the Wise, this was a wise precaution to counteract the adverse effects of alcohol on those people who, through lack of money to buy a nourishing meal, drank alcohol on an empty stomach.

Then there is also the story that the tapa originated from the need of farmers and workers to take a small amount of food during their working time, which allowed them to carry on working until time for the main meal.

Wine was the natural accompaniment to this snack, which used to be called “alifara” in northern Spain , Aragón and Navarra; and later, in the Vasque Country, it began to be called “poteo”, because the wine had to be drunk in “potes” (jars).

When the “botillerias” (bottle-shops) and “tabernas” (taverns) became established throughout Spain , the wise King’s decree remained in place. For that reason, the glass or jar of wine was served covered with a slice of either smoked ham or cheese, allegedly for two reasons: first to prevent insects or other impurities falling into the jar and secondly, for the guests to soak up the alcohol they had drunk with something solid, as King Alonso had decreed.

Personally, I subscribe to the story of the tapa as sustenance, and not as a drink cover. In the first place, if you want to prevent flies (the only insects that are usually hovering around human food and drink) from falling into your drink, would you cover the container with something that would attract them?

In my country, which was a Spanish colony for over 400 years, tapa means sun-dried meat. So imagine my surprise when I ordered my first Spanish tapa in a Madrid bar, and was given a saucer of cubed boiled potatoes to accompany my cerveza! Que Horror!

So I guess it's kind of like the Spanish version of dim sum. Sounds good to me!

What's the general consensus on the best place to eat authentic tapas?

España.

La Salsa gets my vote for tapas and a really enjoyable dining experience.

Um, no.

I think I may have misread the question. The best place to have authentic tapas is Spain. When in town, La Salsa suits me fine.

Err.. yeah. I meant the best place in Hanoi to try "authentic" tapas.

the best place to eat tapas is Catalunya,North or South,don't forget to drink la tisana
Joder

Latino Bar, Melia Hotel.

It's actually a Spanish hotel chain.