Tapas are snacks, canapés or finger food. Tapas come in many different forms and can vary from town to town! But, what are they?
Tapas can be practically anything from a chunk of tuna, cocktail onion and an olive skewered on a long toothpick to meat with sauce served piping hot in a miniature clay dish. They are served day in and day out in every bar and café in Spain. So much a part of the culture and social scene that the Spanish people invented the verb
tapear which means to go and eat
tapas!
In most regions, you must order and pay for a ración or serving, but in the province of Granada, one tapa is complimentary with each round of drinks ordered. Tapas keep the Spanish fueled for their long journeys from bar to bar before their mid-day meal and in the evening before dinner.