***
Whenever I think of the art of tapear, which is often, I think of it as an informal food crawl - moving from bar to bar, savoring delectable small dishes typically paired with a cold caña (small draft beer), wine, sherry, or vermouth. The whole experience is less a formal meal than a social ritual.
“Tomar tapas en bares y tabernas” simply means a casual, lively way of eating and connecting. Aficionados drift from place to place, sampling house specialties of the day or a few personal favorites at each stop. The classic “one bar, one drink, one tapa” rhythm often stretches into an entire evening’s entertainment.
Tabernas hum with energy and seem to occupy almost every corner. While tapas can certainly serve as a pre-dinner appetizer, the key difference from the French apéro is this: Spanish tapas are substantial enough to become the meal itself, usually enjoyed while taberna-hopping. The focus stays on the small plates; standing or perched at the bar is perfectly normal. The French apéro (short for apéritif), by contrast, is a pre-dinner custom centered mainly on drinks, accompanied by light, casual nibbles, typically enjoyed at home or on a café terrace before a proper sit-down meal.
Tapas themselves range from the simplest (olives, slices of jamón, cheeses) to the more elaborate (croquetas, gambas al ajillo, tortilla, seafood/fish, and two longtime personal favorites, patatas bravas and chicharrones especiales). In parts of Andalusia, such as Granada, a free tapa still traditionally arrives with whatever drink you order. ¡Salud! - BPJ
