Spain has confessed to the international community today that the word Tapas actually translates as ‘not enough food’.
The Spanish government confirmed in a statement to the UN that: “We don’t eat food on tiny plates at home. We eat normal amounts of food on normal sized plates, like everybody else just with a bit more chorizo. Nobody has time for that much washing up.”
“The word ‘Tapas’ comes from the action of tapping on your plate to indicate that there is not enough food on it. As if to say ‘don’t be shy with the patatas bravas’ if you get my drift. Spain apologises for any confusion caused.”
Tapa in Castillano means cover or top . In Andalusia in a bar ( among others in Sevilla) they used to and still do , pour in a glass of wine and cover the glass with a small biscuit or someting like a cream cracker, chorizo , a slice of tomato or cucumber or other tasty variety with olives , herbs , batatas bravas , jamon Iberico etc. to go together with your wine. These small bites were much appreciated so they developped more varieties and offered them on a plate next to your (alcoholic) beverage. in the meantime there are thousands of so called tapas bars even in Santiago is one .
My favorite place for tapas is the Cava Baja street in Madrid where you hop in from one tapas bar to the other tapas restaurant, drinking wine with a favorite tapa, then going for the next place for another glass of wine and a tapa . That takes quite some time to get ( if you get there) to the end of the street,
Often done with collegues, from work, bachelor parties, friends a night out etc.
In lots of Spanish bars you order a plate of tapas and every tapa has a wooden pick sticked into it
once you are ready eating them and ask for the bill, they count the number of wooden picks on the plate so they know how many tapas you have eaten.
Prices differ from one to the other bar. If you order a plate with jamon Iberico, the sliced ham from the black foot pig ( pata negra) you easily pay 20 € for 8 or 10 slices.
During the time I worked in Spain I have never seen nor heard that people tap on their plate because there is not enough food being served. It is considered to be rude tapping on plates in a restaurant or even at home.
in the northern area of Spain they call it pinxos