Exploring the Best Barcelona Tapas: A Culinary Adventure

In Barcelona, It's All About Tapas

I’m just returning from a northern Spain trip that included stays in Barcelona, San Sebastian, Logrono in the Rioja region, and Madrid. All I can say is, wow, these people know how to eat, drink wine, and live. It was one of the greatest food adventures of my life!

We started out in Barcelona, where we spent two glorious nights eating tapas and drinking regional wines. The first place was a little bit touristy, but the second night was not, thanks to our incredibly knowledgeable guide, Jessica, who took us to a place in the Gothic section of Barcelona down some tiny street that would be hard to find again. I’m sure we were the only Americans dining there that night.

What Is Tapas?

Tapas may mean different things to different people depending on where you are in Spain. I think of tapas as small plates served in restaurants, but we also found tapas served in bars and cafes.

What was served depended on what city you were in, except for ham, which we found in every town and city we visited. And I'm not talking about sliced ham, which we think of here in the United States, but Jamón serrano, translated as ham from the Sierras or mountains.

Jamon is a dry-cured ham served in very thin slices. It might be compared to Italian prosciutto, which is also dry-cured and served in very thin slices. We were served serrano ham for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In just about every restaurant or cafe you went into, you'd find a Serrano ham or two or three hanging from the ceiling.

Everywhere we went, we found people enjoying tapas, usually with a beer or glass of wine. I've read that it is so much a part of Spanish culture that they use the "verb tapear, which means to go and eat tapas."

First Night's Tapas Dinner

 

Here’s a menu from the first night’s restaurant, Taller de Tapas. You can see they attract English-speaking tourists like us because the menu is in Spanish, English, and Catalan, which I believe is the language many speak in Barcelona.

What’s great about looking at this menu is seeing some of the classic tapas choices we found throughout our trip to northern Spain. I’ve included some photos of a few of the dishes we shared among the six of us.

Because Barcelona is on the Mediterranean coast, a lot of seafood is available. When I write about the famous La Boqueria market, you’ll see more of what I mean.