The 5 most typical Spanish dishes and tapas to try

In almost every small bar or restaurant in the Catalan capital...
You can choose from a menu of hot and cold tapas or the dishes.

Visit tapasTapas are generally shared. You can order a tapa on your own if you're hungry, but if you're with friends, everyone takes a little from each small dish.

It's also a lifestyle.
Invited by Spanish friends, it's not uncommon for everyone to bring a little something and to "pick" a little something from everywhere.
They call it a "pica-pica".

When do you eat tapas? At what time of day?

When Barcelonians do have a drink, it's usually accompanied by "patatas bravas" or a few "croquetas".
Especially around happy hour 😉
Nowadays, you can order a tapa at any time...

In the past, tapas were eaten around 6 p.m. because, as I'm sure you've already noticed, in Spain.., we eat late... The late ones, around 10pm...

Even if Barcelona is adapting to tourism, going to a restaurant before 8:30-9pm means risking eating in a crowded restaurant. very calm atmosphere...

So I recommend passing the time with a few tapas.

A little vocabulary: tapas or raciones?

Note that there are "tapas" and "raciones".

These dishes vary in size. Raciones are larger than tapas. If you're in a group, go for the raciones. If you want to try lots of different things, choose several. tapas.

There are also "platos combinados" which, as the name suggests, combine several tapas.

Are tapas free?

Unfortunately no ! In Barcelona, tapas are not free.
Sometimes, you'll get a few free olives, but that's enough. rare.

In Andalusia, in fact, every drink is accompanied by a tapa, sometimes quite a substantial one.
In Barcelona, this is not the custom...

Patatas bravas: a must!

Visit the country's flagship tapa ! They say that it's the quality of the "patatas bravas" that determines the quality of the whole menu. It's a decisive test!

But WHAT IT IS ?

Patatas bravas are potatoes cut into relatively irregular shapes and then fried in olive oil. And they're topped with brava sauce and garlic.

In Catalonia, the slightly spicy "brava" may be accompanied or replaced by aioli sauce, a fairly strong garlic sauce.

But all the bars in Spain are preparing their bravas differently. It's a national sport!

"Pan con tomate"... an institution!

It's hard to imagine how toasted bread with a crushed tomato spread can be so delicious. delicious ! And the Catalans are proud !

If you order tomato bread, you may have to handle it by yourself. Bread, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil are brought to you.

The first step is to rub the garlic into the bread. Next, cut your tomato in half and press it onto the bread as well. A drizzle of olive oil and salt and you're done!
The bread is often replaced by tomato bread.

Croquetas and other fried foods

The most common hot tapas are often French fries. If you're lucky enough to eat homemade croquettes, don't hesitate!

There are also bars specializing in croquettes, where you'll find the typical "jamón", with ham, or "pollo", with chicken. These are the so-called "classic" croquettes.

Otherwise, there's a whole host of possibilities: with mushrooms, sweetened with apples and goat's cheese, with "morcilla" (a kind of sausage pudding)...

A derivative of the croquette is the "bomba", a giant croquette stuffed with pork and mashed potatoes, often heavily coated with aioli or a lightly spiced sauce.

On the fried menu: fried squid is called "à la romaine". And all seafood can be fried. : chocos (pieces of cuttlefish), pescado (fish), bacalao (cod), boquerones (anchovies)...

Cold tapas: embutidos and cheeses

The cold tapas menu naturally includes classics and its derivatives fromembutidosi.e. cold meats.

Jamón serrano is the finest charcuterie, and also the most expensive... Les price can be very expensive. Don't be alarmed if your ham tapas costs you almost 15 euros! If the quality is there, it's the prices...

So don't hesitate to try all the Catalan originalities: la sobresada (a variety of sausage eaten raw), chorizo (spicy sausage), the fuet (Catalan sausage), la botifarra (Catalan sausage), the lomo...

In terms of cheese, the queso manchego can be found in just about any tapas bar.

Classic cold tapas

Russian salad

Russian salad is also a common product: a salad of potatoes, egg, tuna, sometimes diced ham, peas... mixed with mayonnaise.

The tortilla

The tortilla can be "francesa", i.e. an omelette. If it's the tortilla alone, it's the Spanish tortilla as we imagine it: potatoes and onions in the form of a very thick omelette. Sometimes cut up and placed on a piece of bread.

Other popular tapas

Aceitunas : olives

AlbondigasMeatballs. Often served with tomato sauce.

Boquerones Anchovies in vinegar

Empanadas puff pastry filled with meat and/or vegetables

Pimientos del padrón typical sweet green peppers served with a little olive oil

For the more adventurous...

One dish served as tapas in bars is particularly "special": los chicharrones, or grilled pork rind. A variation is fried pork snout.