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Flamenquines ibericos (slices) of Parma ham and apple

The legend has it that tapas came into being thanks to ailing Spanish king Alphonse X, whose disease forced him to tuck in hourly snacks washed down with sips of wine. Once he was up and around, the king ordered the Castile pubs to serve wine together with bar snacks.

In time, the royal bylaw spread all across Spain and the tapas were born, a tradition that has lived out all these centuries and has been eventually taken on and even improved in other countries. Today, the traditional tapas have been enriched and now carry far more weight than a simple culinary tasting, thus turning into some of those pleasures we just can’t pass up. The introduction of new recipes now range from the use of fruits to the serving of Arab and Asian tapas, as well as from the increasingly larger presence of the so-called fusion cuisine –one of the major trends going on in modern gastronomy. Nowadays, in addition to classic tapas like sausage manchego, Spanish omelet, stuffed piquillos and petit ham sandwiches, we can find such specialties as satay chicken and spanakopita –hailing from Greek cuisine– Orly shrimps –basically French– and many others that make up quite an assorted and tasty universe. You can now count on small food helpings that have never been dished out like tapas before, like paella, salmorejo and gazpacho, just to name a few instances from the Spanish cuisine, let alone other plates from other traditions and countries, like the Roquefort snails, prawns and bacon, and tenderloin tips. Thus, tapas are increasingly catching on for being light snacks, generally very digestible and healthy, ideal for those moments when you’re having a drink or a glass of wine with relatives and friends. Every so often, in some of the fanciest places and accompanied by the finest spirits and other delicatessens, tapas are the key players of a night of good time and fun. Many people even have some combinations of their own and venture to suggest Habano brands and vitolas as the perfect closers of a very special, fun-packed moment by mixing tastes, textures and aromas.

Recipe Flamenquines ibericos (slices) of Parma ham and apple

Ingredientes Parma ham one apple olive oil parsley Preparation Arrange wedges of apple in the middle of the dish and slices of Parma ham on top. Sprinkle some olive oil and the parsley.

Recipe Spinach and cheese Spanakopita

Ingredients puff paste spinach slice cheese pasteurized cheese garlic Preparation Cut the puff paste in salted squares. Mix both cheeses, the spinach and the garlic. Smear the mixture on the puff paste base and cover with more puff paste in cross sections.