How to on Tapas

Tapas restaurants are all the rage now, but in traditional Spanish culture that is an oxymoron of sorts. Tapas are what you have while having an after work/pre-dinner drink at the bar. The word tapas comes from the Spanish verb tapar, meaning "to cover." Originally bartenders supplied sherry drinkers with bread or a flat card "to cover" their glasses and keep fruit flies from getting to the sweet elixir. When they topped it with a salty snack - such as cured meat, olives, or some sort of pickle - it encouraged additional imbibing. Smart proprietors continued to supply these tapas to encourage sales. But one might not need to run to a bar to engage in the practice - set these pickled vegetables, along with some chorizo, jamón, or boquerones, out with your after work glass of wine.