Tapas

Tapas are small portions of food served with drinks or combined into a meal, associated with Spanish dining and adapted worldwide.

Spanish cuisine: The regional food traditions of Spain, shaped by local ingredients, history, and cultural exchange. Tapas draw on Spain’s varied regional cooking rather than one fixed national recipe.
Tapas bar: A restaurant or bar specializing in small Spanish-style dishes served for sharing. Tapas bars organize food and drink around grazing and shared plates.
Spanish etymology: The study of the histories and development of words in the Spanish language. The proposed link between tapa and covering food helps explain the tradition’s name.
Tapear: The Spanish practice of going out to eat tapas, often at several bars in succession. This verb names the social outing built around sampling tapas from place to place.
Pintxo: A small Basque snack, often served on bread and secured with a skewer. Pintxos overlap with tapas but have a distinct Basque identity and serving tradition.
Pica-pica: A casual meal or gathering centered on assorted small snacks and shared dishes, especially in Spain and Latin America. It shows how small-plate eating can function as an informal meal or social occasion.
Andalusia: A region of southern Spain with distinctive cuisines, landscapes, and cultural history. Andalusia is closely associated with early and enduring tapas customs.
Sobremesa: The time spent talking at the table after a meal in Spanish-speaking cultures. Both customs treat eating as a setting for extended social life, not merely nourishment.
Ración: A full-sized shared portion of a dish in Spanish dining. Raciones offer a larger serving option alongside smaller tapas portions.
Meze: A selection of small dishes served as appetizers or a shared meal across parts of the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Meze resembles tapas in its shared format but belongs to different culinary traditions.

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