Madrid restaurant Gofio offers a Canarian take on tapas with ingredients such as red tuna and rabbit sausage. Photo / Gofio
Madrid restaurant Gofio offers a Canarian take on tapas with ingredients such as red tuna and rabbit sausage. Photo / Gofio
Tapas may be found around the globe, but in Spain, they’re more than just small plates – they’re a way of life, writes Michelle Tchea.
Tapas have travelled around the world, and it is almost impossible not to find a thriving, buzzing tapas bar in any reputable food city nowadays.While many restaurants have menus based loosely on tapas-style dining (aka “sharing plates”), nothing beats having tapas in the country where they originated.
After all, for the Spanish, tapas is more than just a quick snack at your local watering hole. “It is a way of life,” says Dani Garcia, a Michelin-starred chef and owner of restaurants Smoked Room and Dani Brasserie in Madrid. “It is not just about eating good food but a way we connect – informal and spontaneous.”
Tapas in Spain are a way of life – informal, sociable and steeped in centuries of culinary tradition. Photo / Smoked Room, Dani Brasserie
The accepted legend about the invention of tapas stems from the 13th century. It is believed that, when King Alfonso X of Castile fell terribly ill, he regained both his appetite and strength by eating tiny bites of food. The king fell in love with this snacking culture and ordered all taverns to serve food in bars (Amen!), and hence, tapas was informally introduced into Spanish culture.
While many foodies say San Sebastian and Barcelona have the most creative tapas, you can’t go wrong in the capital, which offers a great introduction and deep dive into tapas culture for first-timers. The city has it all – historic taverns serving traditional tapas (think fried pork belly and tripe), such as those found at Taberna El Boqueron and Lhardy.
In the past couple of years, a new wave of young chefs has added flair to Madrid‘s dining scene, offering contemporary tapas in a more formal setting to uphold their traditions with a twist.
Places such as Sala de Despiece, Gofio and Smoked Room are not conventional tapas destinations, but offer menus based loosely on small plates – perfect for people who want to enjoy the tapas culture without hopping around from bar to bar when in the capital.
Tapas are more than snacks in Spain. Photo / Smoked Room
What are the dos/don’ts?
Nuno Matos, chef at La Cupula, in The Palace Hotel, Madrid, says there are some rules to live by if you want to truly enjoy tapas culture like a local. “Tapas aren’t meant to be a full sit-down meal in one place, so locals often go from bar to bar, having a small plate and a drink at each.”
Garcia says the best way to enjoy tapas is to “go with the flow”. “Don’t sit down waiting for a 40-page menu, look around and let the place guide you rather than organising it like a set meal. If you order a starter, main and dessert, it just screams tourist!”
And what to drink? “A cold, well-poured caña [a type of beer]. And if I’m in the south, a fino or manzanilla [sherries]. There’s no better pairing – it refreshes, cuts through the flavours, and leaves you ready for the next bite,” says Garcia.
Traditional tapas spots in Madrid have been serving for over 170 years. Photo / Unsplash
What typical dishes should you order?
First-timers should start with the classics, including bocadillo de calamares (fried calamari sandwich, typical around Madrid’s Plaza Mayor), tortilla de patatas (essentially a potato omelette with caramelised onion), and ensalada rusa (a creamy potato salad), which chef Matos says is “surprisingly addictive” and a must-order.
If you are feeling more adventurous, Mutas recommends callos a la madrilena (stewed tripe in a tomato sauce), oreja a la plancha (grilled pig’s ear) and gallinejas (fried lamb intestines).
Where to go in Madrid?
For traditionalists, you can’t go wrong with the historic taverns. Lhardy has been serving tapas for more than 170 years, and its croquetas are famous; Casa Labra is the place for battered cod pieces called soldaditos de Pavia; and Bodega de la Ardosa serves some of the city’s best-known tortillas and oreja a la plancha.
If you want more contemporary tapas, you will be spoiled in Madrid nowadays. Club 27 is where history buffs should start their night with Hemingway-inspired cocktails and avant-garde tapas like patatas bravas served with black garlic aioli sauce; Isa Restaurant and Cocktail bar is for the night-owl who loves Asian-inspired tapas like Japanese nigiri and katsu-sandos; and Gofio, a revered restaurant in Madrid, offers a tasting menu of small bites that you won’t find in your average tapas venue: salpicon of red tuna with coriander mojo and homemade rabbit sausages are just some of the tiny morsels you will enjoy next to an impressive Canary Island wine pairing at this award-winning restaurant.
