Tapas

The concept of Tapas is something most people are curious about when they arrive in Spain. Tapas are, in fact, one of my favorite things about Spanish cuisine. So here's the brief rundown on the history and origin of tapas that I found in my guidebook:

"Medieval Spain was a land of isolated settlements and people on the move-traders, pilgrims, emigrants and journeyman - who had to cross the lonely high plateau of Spain en route elsewhere. All along the route, travellers holed up in isolated inns where innkeepers, concerned about drunken men on horseback setting out from their village, developed a tradition of putting a 'lid' (tapa) atop a glass of wine or beer. their purpose was partly to keep the bugs out, but primarily to encourage people not to drink too much on and empty stomach.

In this sense, little has changed and the tapa continues to serve the dual purposes of providing enjoyment and a lid to enable you to develop new levels of stamina during long Spanish nights." - Lonely Planet Spain

On Friday and Saturday nights, it is not uncommon to for Spaniards to go out for tapas around 10 or 11 PM. Many times Spaniards will only eat tapas for dinner instead of sitting down for a meal at a restaurant. The best part about tapas is that it encourages a long dinner with much conversation. Tapas are not all brought at once and instead of eating your meal and getting ready to go, tapas allow for conversation as you graze the food and wait for the next round.