Let’s talk about tapas!

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Marianne under Recipes, Slice of Life

First of all, what are tapas?

It is thought that originally in the wine-making regions of Andalucia una tapa (the word “tapar” in Spanish means“to cover”), in the form of a small plate or lid was placed over glasses of wine to keep fruit flies away. Titbits of food were then placed on the dish to be eaten with the wine. How I so love the Spanish that it is unacceptable that a fly ends up in your drink, but it´s fine if it lands on the accompanying snack!

Other stories suggest that tapas were invented by a bar owner in Seville, who decided to put a cover (tapa) over his guests´ glasses of wine, using a slice of bread to keep out flies. He later put a piece of ham or cheese on top, so that his customers could have a bite to eat with their drink.

Either way, the idea spread, so that nowadays the types of food served as tapas are limitless. Most Spaniards don´t drink alcohol without a tapa and many bars provide them free of charge.

The Spanish equivalent of “fast food” is usually displayed in refrigerated glass units on the bar and served in small terracotta glazed dishes. Some examples of the type of tapas normally available include gambas (whole cooked prawns in their shells), boquerones (fresh anchovies in olive oil, vinegar and garlic), chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage), albondigas (meatball…often in a creamy almond sauce), queso (cheese…often manchego), habas con jamon (broad beans with ham), ensalada rusa (Russian salad) or just a few olives.

Your choice of tapas is usually accompanied by a small piece of crusty bread which helps to counteract the adverse effects of the alcohol through drinking on an empty stomach.

In many establishments, if you stand at the bar along with the locals you will be given one tapa free with each drink you buy. That’s right …. free food!

Should you choose to sit away from the bar, you can pay for a tapas or two (usually for one euro or less in this part of Spain), or opt for a larger serving known as a ración (ration) or medio ración (half ration). This is a great way to eat a variety of dishes, and a pretty sociable activity as groups generally tend to share their dishes.

The food is generally very good, even in remote villages around the Axarquia.

Where is your favourite tapas bar? Which tapa do you choose, time and time again?

All at sea with the Virgen del Carmen

La Noche de San Juan: Families, fires and football!

Bus Services: East of Málaga

Photographs I love …. and why! [Part 9]

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Marianne under Axarquía, Photographs I love, Recipes

This is just one of a series of photos I have taken, and will share with you over time, capturing the essence of living east of Málaga. Each one, in it’s own unique way, reminds me of why I love living in southern Spain, and in particular the Axarquía.

This is Calle El Zacatín, a street in the beautiful, white, mountain village of Frigiliana. Here, the typical architecture of the village can be seen at its best. The steep climb, profusely decorated with flowers and flowerpots reveal some of the original Arab layout of the village – winding streets, secret corners and adarves (little squares shared by a few houses and belonging only to them).

Calle El Zacatín leads to another gem in town: Barribarto, or the higher part of village, which can only be toured on foot, for its impossibly narrow streets make it impossible to drive.

El Zacatín is one of the most photographed streets in Frigiliana and is the original site of a Moorish street market, filled with merchants and artisans, over a thousand years ago.

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Other Photographs I love …. and why!

Fresh Figs Stuffed with Goat´s Cheese and wrapped in Smoked Bacon

A Year in the Life of an Almond Tree: Andalucían Style!

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Marianne under Axarquía

We start off each year with a wonderful show of pink and white blossom spilling down the hillsides. Flowers appear in early January and their petals often look like snow on the surrounding hills and mountains.

As we move into Springtime, the almond nuts begin to swell, hidden within their soft green velvety cases.

Finally, at the end of a long hot summer, the green velvety cases have dried and cracked open, to reveal and shell of the almond nut inside. Ready for the picking!

Whilst you´re here, why not have a look at:

The heart of Cómpeta: El Paseo de las Tradiciones

The heart of Cómpeta: El Paseo de las Tradiciones

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Marianne under Axarquía, Places

You can find El Paseo de las Tradiciones (The Walk of the Traditions) in the main square, Plaza Almijara, of the white, mountain village of Cómpeta. Completed in 2009 on the site of the old municipal market, El Paseo de las Tradiciones is annexed to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción).

As you stroll from the busy square, through the archway into the Paseo de las Tradiciones you will discover an oasis of calm. The floor is decorated with an intricate Moorish pattern of terracotta and white tiles, alongside a series of ceramic murals celebrating the lives of generations of the ordinary working people of the village.

One wall of the Paseo de las Tradiciones pays testament to the trades and deeply rooted traditions of the people of Cómpeta through the ages. The beautifully modern, brightly coloured tiling in each of the alcoves was developed in the workshop of potter and sculptor, José Antonio Rivas.

The nine alcoves, each 3 metres high and 2 metres wide, not only depict the history of the collecting of the local vines, the muleteers and village smithy, old olive oil factory and the public laundry, but also recognize the contribution made by the Moors, who for 800 years did so much to improve the cultivation of the summer-dry, winter-wet sierras, bringing the first prosperity to the village.

The past 500 years since the building of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption have not been easy for the people of Cómpeta. The expulsion of the Moors, two great earthquakes followed shortly by a cholera epidemic, and the vine disease phylloxera,which devastated crops all over Europe in the mid-19th century, have all taken their toll, but the spirit of the villagers continues to thrive, as epitomized throughout the Paseo de las Tradiciones.

Where is your “oasis of calm”?

Whilst you´re here, why not have a look at:

The elegant, main shopping street of Málaga

I can see Africa from my terrace!

All at sea with the Virgen del Carmen

Slice of Life: Spanish bars

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Marianne under Laws and Customs, Slice of Life

A bar here in southern Spain is very different from a typical British pub. Although layouts may vary, what you will usually find will be a bar counter, with tall seats around, often with a covered tapas display. This will likely be in two parts, one containing meats and tortillas ready to be heated up and served with your drink, the other with cold tapas and salads. Many bars still serve tapas at an inclusive price with the drink, whilst others serve rather more elaborate nibbles which are charged for individually.

One of the main differences with a British pub will be the size of drink. Normally if you ask for a beer (una cerveza) it will be in a smaller glass, either a “tubo” which is a tall tumbler or in a glass not dissimilar to a large wine glass. The only time you will see anyone with a “pint” glass, they will usually be a tourist on the coast. You will be just as likely to see people at the bar drinking coffee (un café) or a glass of wine (una copa de vino).

Tables away from the bar counter, either inside or outside, are typical café tables with upright chairs, not lounge-type tables and chairs like in British pubs .

There is usually a large display of spirit bottles behind the bar and invariably a leg of Serrano ham on a carving frame. You should try this typical Spanish delicacy – it´s delicious!

Almost everywhere, customers take all their food and drink and only pay when they are ready to leave. In busy big city bars, the tapas, usually more sophisticated, will each come with a small wooden skewer and, when you have finished, the barman will count the skewers and charge accordingly.

I would recommend you to visit as many bars and cafeterías as possible, especially away from the tourist haunts. Look for places full of Spaniards and litter, in the form of till receipts, on the floor signifying that you have found a good spot.

Some bars, especially on the coast, offer more seafood, but try different ones and you will inevitably find a handful that will become part of your regular tapas trail.

Where´s your favourite Spanish bar?

If you like this article….try also looking here:

The heart of Cómpeta: El Paseo de las Tradiciones

Photographs I love …. and why!

A flowering snapshot of a January day