Roll Cuisine Corner
TAPAS
by Pierre-Luc Moeys, Owner/Chef Oriole 9
It is said that back in the 13th Century, Alfonso the 10th, King of Castile (in southern Spain), decreed that all wine served in his domain must be served with food. This is no doubt one of many reasons for his nickname, “Alfonso the Wise.” In later years, when Andalusian drinkers wanted to keep fruit flies out of their sweet sherry, they would put a piece of bread on top of the glass, or if you will, a tapa (from the verb tapar, “to cover”). It was only a matter of time before someone started putting things on those bread covers, and an international craze, with a distinctly Spanish style, was born.
Originally, tapas were small plates of food that were set down for customers without charge, but soon restaurants and bars came to charge for the food. Tapas are also never served at home; they are always foods served at drinking establishments. Eating tapas is part of the tapeo, the tradition of stimulating the appetite with friends while trysting and drinking an aperitif. The art of the tapeo, Alicia Rio, a Spanish food writer, tells us, “is like a baroque, sybaritic game, as it pleases the five senses by means of multifarious smells, friendly pats on the back, the sight and beauty of the streets. It induces states of inspiration and delight, it gives rise to witty banter on trivial topics and the interchange of snippets of juicy gossip.”
Tapas can be grouped into three main categories, according to how easy they are to eat: cosas de picar, pinchos, and cazuelas. Cosas de picar (meaning “things to nibble”) basically refers to finger food, frequently featuring the ubiquitous olive... CONTINUE...
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