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Issue 13 - Tapping into Tapas |
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Interest in new cuisines by those of the gourmet persuasion is a constant marker to changes in culinary habits by the rest of the public. Which may or may not explain the current interest in Spanish food, and in particular, tapas. Possibly this is also because of the rise in popularity of bars particularly in the major cities. Melbourne has always had a bar culture (and I dont mean hotel bars) particularly in the city, where the mainly young clientele hangs out. This culture was easier in Melbourne because of its more relaxed licensing laws, but now Sydney has caught up and new bars are opening up everywhere.
Tapping into Tapas
Interest in new cuisines by those of the gourmet persuasion is a constant marker to changes in culinary habits by the rest of the public. Which may or may not explain the current interest in Spanish food, and in particular, tapas. Possibly this is also because of the rise in popularity of bars particularly in the major cities. Melbourne has always had a bar culture (and I dont mean hotel bars) particularly in the city, where the mainly young clientele hangs out. This culture was easier in Melbourne because of its more relaxed licensing laws, but now Sydney has caught up and new bars are opening up everywhere.
Of course if you have a great bar you want to keep your clientele happy and the bar buzzing and you want people to hang around. Serving tapas fills this criteria. They provide filling snacks which not only stop the alcohol content from getting out of hand, they keep the stomach satisfied and make going out to dinner less of an imperative.
The Spanish eat tapas for entirely other reasons. Because their evening meal is very late (no self respecting restaurant opens before 9.00 - 9.30 pm) they fill in the time at the end of the day, meeting their friends and snacking and drinking. The Spanish day runs very differently from what we are used to. Breakfast is very early and very light, lunch is a major meal and followed by either a siesta or a long rest. Most offices close for at least two hours to cover this tradition and usually open again at 3.00pm. This means that offices dont close until 7.00 - 7.30pm which leaves time to be social and relax with a sherry and tapas before the evening meal.
The word tapas means cover or lids and it was a piece of bread that was placed over a glass of wine or sherry to keep out the flies and the dust. Enterprising restaurateurs then added a few anchovies or olives to the bread and thus began the tradition of tapas.
Now the ingredients and the dishes served as tapas are limitless. Olives of course are a must - after all Spain is the largest producer of olives and olive oil in the world - and then there are vegetable dishes, seafood, tortillas, chicken, smoked meats, cheeses and various salads. In fact tapas are far more than just appetisers. You could call them the Spanish version of dim sums and like dim sums you could make them a meal in themselves and all that would be missing would be a dessert!
The interest in Spanish food is not, however, relegated to just tapas. With Spain becoming a popular tourist destination, the culinary traditions of that country, climatically so close to our own, will inevitably flow over to the restaurant scene. But you have to start somewhere and what better place to begin the delights of the Spanish cuisine than a wonderful little dish of marinated octopus, a potato tortilla, mushrooms in garlic or a spicy sausage in red wine sauce.
Olè for tapas I say - they make a drink with your friends an enjoyable experience, and help smooth the way for meeting new acquaintances. They are without doubt the most delicious fast food you will ever eat and every bar should be encouraged to become a tapas haven.
The Happy Gourmet
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