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Personal photo - Copyright belongs to me

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Personal photo - Copyright belongs to me

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Personal photo - Copyright belongs to me

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Personal photo - Copyright belongs to me

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Personal photo - Copyright belongs to me

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Attributed to Google

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This article explains the most traditional dishes of each region in Spain.
By Randy Mayor
© 2018 CookingLight.com

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While certain dishes are common across Spain, each of its regions offer particular culinary pleasures.

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This article explains the various theories on how the tradition of tapas began.
By Kay Plunkett-Hogge
© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2018

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Perhaps fittingly for a cuisine commonly enjoyed with a drink, tapas has less a set history than a collection of elaborate tales, possibly as many as the regions of Spain itself.

One of the most popular stories claims that, back in the 13th century, King Alfonso X of Castille found that, while he was recuperating from an illness, he could only eat and drink in small amounts - resulting in one of the first forms of tapas.

His Majesty thought this was marvellous and, on his recovery, decreed that all drinks should be served with a small snack.

Another story states that his much later 19th-century namesake, Alfonso XIII, once ordered wine in a popular tavern in Cadiz.

Since Cadiz is almost as windy as Chicago and dusty with it, the bartender kindly served it with a slice of ham on top to keep the sand out.

The king enjoyed his wine and ham so much, he ordered the same again and, as is often the way with kings, in doing so started a trend.

Credit: Alamy

Other origin myths are more humble. According to some, tapas began at a farmers' bar in Seville where the bartenders would serve beer or sherry with a saucer on top to keep the flies out.

Then they realised that they could use the saucer to serve a little ham, some olives, some cheese. The clever move made customers come back, thanks to the bar's apparent generosity.

Tapa literally means "a cover" or "a lid" - and this is a common facet to many tapas origin stories. One says that, since tapas bars used to be standing-only affairs, people who ordered a snack had nowhere to put their plate but on top of their glass - hence the tradition.

Another claims that some sneaky tavern keepers discovered that, if they covered cheap wine with a plate of strong cheese, their punters, in a state of olfactory confusion, wouldn't notice how bad the beverage was.

In today's world, this means little: these days, we don't need bartenders to keep the flies off our drinks. But even so, tapas's influence has spread the world over.

Credit: Getty

In some places, it benefits from a culture's pre-existing practice of serving savoury snacks with drinks, be that a plump olive or crostini with your Italian aperitivo, or a spicy bite with your Thai whisky. (Frankly, if we're honest about it, what is the humble pork scratching if not a kind of British tapas?).

We shouldn't be surprised. There is something profoundly satisfying about enjoying a small morsel of something delicious alongside a cold drink.

And, while in Britain, we used to make do with the salted peanut, the Spanish have raised morsel-making to something extraordinary.

So popular is this style of eating that, today, on most Spanish menus, everything is available in a tapas-sized portion. And incredible chefs have elevated tapas from a simple bite on a stick to Michelin-starred dining.

So, where next for this Spanish sophistication?

As a style of dining, it seems the answer might be everywhere: bars all over the world now offer Thai tapas, Cajun tapas and so on.

I have even seen mezze rebranded as "Greek tapas". And our love of proper Spanish tapas shows no sign of abating.

Tapas bars and Spanish restaurants open every day, particularly here in the UK, and the supermarkets offer an increasing number of tapas platters and meal deals, and cookery books offering simple yet delicious recipes mean that we can now head home with a piece of Spain.

Perhaps with some cold Mahou Cinco Estrellas, we can recreate a balmy Madrid evening in our own front rooms.
For more information on the real taste of Madrid, visit mahou.com #perfectpairing #mahou

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Perhaps fittingly for a cuisine commonly enjoyed with a drink, tapas has less a set history than a collection of elaborate tales, possibly as many as the regions of Spain itself.

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Start here to learn about the main food products of Spain.
Turespaña © 2018

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Spanish cuisine: discover Spanish cooking | spain.info in english

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Information about Spanish cuisine, and typical Spanish cooking. Learn about ingredients, preparation, products and presentation | spain.info in english

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CC BY

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In this video, a young Spanish girl shows you what food and drinks are in her kitchen.
Attributed to Agustin Iruela

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This video will show you how to prepare the traditional Spanish dish of gazpacho.
Attributed to SGEL ELE Español para extranjeros

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NEEM 1/NEEM Básico - Unidad 5 Mi receta de gazpacho  - subtitulado

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This video shows you the customs of tapas in southern Spain.
Attributed to The Culinary Institute of America

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Differences of Food Names in Spanish-speaking Countries

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Differences of Food Names in Spanish-speaking Countries

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For more fun, check out this video that shows you how each Spanish-speaking country has its own words for foods.
Attributed to SergiMartinSpanish

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View this video to compare and contrast restaurant language in Spain and Mexico.
CC BY

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Spain vs Mexico on Food and Culture 1  MUST WATCH LightSpeed Spanish

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CC BY-SA

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Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary