Spain is a land of great food and underrated wine. It is home to the iconic paella, the most flavorful jamon (the best ham you will ever have in your life), the spicy chorizo sausage, fresh sea food, great olives, amazing red wine, and so many other incredible dishes. In fact, one of the best and most memorable experiences of a trip to Spain is the opportunity to consume tons of these culinary delights, but with only a few meals, how can you truly experience all that Spain has to offer your taste buds? The answer is tapas! Tapas are small portion meals, found at restaurants and bars throughout the country. Typically, you walk up to the counter and ask for a platos or plate and serve yourself. The counters will be covered with plates and plates of the most scrumptious dishes. The food ranges from cold to hot choices. These could be anything from small "slim Jim" like chorizo sausage on bagget style bread to bandeleres, small peppers (sometimes quite spicy) and green olives on skewers to anchovies packed together like a bunt cake to toasty cheese filled croquet's fresh from the oven. Most of items will come with a tooth pick sticking through it. When you are finished devouring your meal, the waiter will tally up your tooth picks and bring you the bill. The part of this experience besides the amazing taste of the food, are the prices. Most tapas bars that I have come across will charge only about $1.75 an item and if that does not get you running for the first plane to Madrid, than how about the wine.
For years, Spanish wine has gone completely unnoticed by the general public and is only now becoming recognized in the wine tasting community for it attributes. When it comes to taste, many of the Rojas from Galatia (northern Spain) can rival high quality Italian and french wines on the market, with only a fraction of the price. In fact, in the states, you can purchase several Spanish vintages rated in the low 90's for less than $10 a bottle. With that said, in Spain you can buy a glass of tinto (house red) or blanco (house white) for less than $2 a glass.
So whenever I travel to Spain, I will start in one tapas or pinxos (Basque tapas) bar and get two or three items and a glass of house wine. When I am done, I simply move on to the next bar and do it all over again. This is a great way to experience the vast culinary heritage of Spain, because each bar has it's own specialties and ambiance. Some restaurants are quiet and subdued (most are before 8 pm), while others are far more rambunctious and colorful. If you can try both varieties it will give you more of an appreciation of the tapas experience and for around $5 a meal, how can you go wrong!
Lastly, try tapas from other regions of Spain. The tapas from the Basque region is going to be more spicy (chorizo al diablo- chorizo sausage soaked in wine then flambeed) where as the fare from Catalan will be more sea food dominated (muscles and shrimp are found in abundance). Even if you are only traveling to one city or region of Spain, you can easily find restaurants specializing in the cuisine of other regions. So do your self a favor and don't miss out. With the food and drinks being so inexpensive and utterly delicious, your next trip to Spain will be a truly memorable experience.
Earlier this year I spent some time in Barcelona and these were some of the exceptional tapas restaurants that I truly enjoyed.
In the Ribera:
Sagardi
Carrer de l'Argenteria 62-64
El Xampanyet
Montcada 22
In Ramblas:
Taverna Basca Irati
Carrer Cardenal Casanyes 15
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