Cerveza y Tapas

Today, thousands of restaurants, bars, and cafés throughout Spain serve tapas. And beer has joined wine as an accompaniment to the food. In fact, many Spanish bars are called cervecerías, where beer is the beverage of choice.

You don't need a guidebook to find tapas. Just wander the streets around your hotel and do a little window shopping. Many establishments display their tapas in the window. While you're looking, take a peek inside--if there's a crowd, chances are the food is good. Once your beer arrives, take another look at what's on offer. If something appeals to you, ask for a ración, a first-course-sized portion. Otherwise, finish your beer and move on; the charm of the tapeo is that there's no schedule, no clock.

Our first tapeo was on a crisp Madrid evening. Having just arrived in town, we started at the popular Museo del Jamon (yes, "ham museum"). Ham and sausage predominated, but we also saw cheeses, smoked salmon, and shrimp in garlic sauce. After a ración and a couple cañas, we drifted through the side streets off the Plaza Mayor, dropping in on promising-looking places. We discovered there's no such thing as a "typical tapa"; pork loin, lobster, and even spring rolls turn up on tapa menus.

On another trip to Madrid, some years later, we roamed the neighborhood around our hotel--a residential area far from the tourist zone. The bars were more modest, and so were the tapas: croquettes, toasted bread topped with ham, egg whites filled with salmon paté. But one busy cervecería served what has become a summertime backyard favorite: potatoes with mayonnaise, herbs, and enough garlic to bring tears to Emeril Lagasse's eyes. This dish is great with hamburgers or grilled chicken...and, of course, a tall, cold glass of lager.

The tapeo brought home an important point of Beer Travelling. Sometimes, beer alone makes an occasion special. But far more often, good times come from what you enjoy with the beer...and those with whom you enjoy it.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic