Tapas (singlar tapa) are small dishes or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They have become the basis of a sophisticated cuisine served in tapas bars around the world, where numerous tapas are combined, frequently with alcoholic beverages, to make a meal.
A partial list of tapas dishes includes:
- Aceituna, olives, whole or stuffed with anchovy or red bell pepper
- Albóndigas, meatballs, with or without sauce
- All i oli, Catalan garlic and oil sauce, very similar to Provençal aïoli
- Bacalao, salt cod with bread
- Banderillas, cold pickled vegetables on skewers
- Boquerones en vinagre, anchovies in vinegar
- Calamares, also called rabas, crispy fried squid
- Carcamusa, beef stew with potatoes, vegetables, and chiles
- Chopitos, very small fried squid
- Cojonuda, morcilla sausage with fried quail egg, on toast
- Cojonudo, chorizo or ham with garlic and a fried quail egg on toast
- Chorizo al vino, chorizo sausage slowly cooked in wine
- Chorizo a la sidra, chorizo sausage slowly cooked in cider
- Croquetas, fried fritters of cheese, vegetables, or meat
- Empanadilla, savory turnovers of meats or vegetables
- Ensaladilla rusa, a salad of boiled vegetables with tuna, olive, and mayonnaise
- Fried cheese, bits of young cheese, floured and fried
- Gambas, prawns in peppercorn sauce, with garlic, or chopped chili peppers
- Mejillones rellenos, stuffed mussels
- Papas Arrugadas, new potatoes boiled in saltwater and then served with mojo, a sauce of garlic, paprika, red pepper, cumin, olive oil, and vinegar.
- Patatas bravas, fried chopped potatoes, served with salsa brava
- Patatas a lo pobre, boiled potato with a light creamy sauce
- Pimientos de Padrón, small spicy green peppers, fried in olive oil
- Pulpo a la gallega, octopus served hot in olive oil and paprika
- Pincho moruno, kebab of pork, lamb, or chicken
- Puntillitas, battered fried small squid
- Queso con anchoas, Castilla or Manchego cheese with anchovies
- Raxo, pork with garlic, parsley, and paprika
- Setas al Ajillo, mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and garlic
- Solomillo a la castellana, fried pork or beef medallions, with onion or Cabrales cheese sauce
- Solomillo al whisky, fried pork or beef medallions, in a whiskey, brandy, or white wine sauce
- Tortilla de patata, omelette with chunks of potato
- Tortilla paisana, omelette with vegetables and chorizo
- Tortillitas de camarones fried prawn fritters
- Zamburiñas, scallops in a tomato-based sauce
- Zarajos, lamb offal fried in olive oil