Lo empezó con Churros con Chocolate: The Story of Tapas (SPAIN - part 2 of 3)

It began with Churros and Chocolate, a characteristic Spanish breakfast of French cruller doughnut lengths and thick "hot chocolate" for dipping the fried pate choux. The Crullers themselves are delicate with a crispy shell and airy, eggy center miles away from the sugar cinnamon doused 2 feet carnival batons we in America have come to refer to. And the chocolate? My traveling companion with a most unfortunate accuracy described the drink as reminiscent of "warm brownie batter". All visions of sophisticated European melted chocolate essence have disappeared from my mind forever. The chocolate is runny thick, enough to reasonably coat the fingers of churro but lack the strength of dark quality cacao...

It truly began with our port arrival in Cádiz where we immediately herded towards the train station for the city of Seville. A beefy man in his mid-60s, El Jefe (the boss) standing in the front of his cafe, beckoned us in for Churros con Chocolate. His dark rimmed glasses and grandfatherly face immediately appealed to me and I mentally promised to return specifically to his cafe and accept his invitation upon our return to Cádiz. But first, Seville.

- Seville -

True to my word, I came to his store on the final morning of our visit to Spain. I had already crafted out a plan that this kindly gentleman would be the first subject of my street food interviews. Our waiter Javier, whom I later discovered to be El Jefe's son, supplied us with our café con leche, churros y chocolate. Naturally nothing ever goes perfectly according to plan, especially while traveling and I watched my interviewee-to-be scooter off in his bombero, with mild curiosity. Javier would have to suffice; he was more than up to the task.

Javier was the most willing, animated, and gracious participant to my interest in the history of Spanish cuisine. Dodging in-and-out between serving his patrons, Javier wove the story of Tapas to my friends and me, and three of his fellow Spaniard regulars, who eventually shifted their chairs as a unified, amused audience to our performance.

TAPAS
Tapas have their roots in the streets of Spain. Imagine my delight to discover that the defining foods of Spain, which I had ridden off as non-participants in the street food culture of interest, fit the boundaries of my project nicely. During good weather, Spaniards would take to the streets to enjoy the plentiful Mediterranean rays. "Food," Javier said, "is foremost influenced by weather." He described the regional differences of food in the North where cooler temperatures have nurtured the creation of hearty meat dishes and stews, while the milder South prefer salads and prolific seafood (read about the Fish Market of Cádiz in my next post). Vendors offered small bottles of wine or beer in the streets to fuel their touring compatriots and also a free nibble to ward off any accompanying hunger. That's right, the first tapas were GRATIS! Each vendor (or possibly his wife) would create his own dish of choice and these changed by day as much as by mood or the availability of ingredients. Soon people began requesting specific repetitions of their favorite tapas and the call for a centralized collection of dishes was born. Today tapas is a fully commercialized part of the Spanish food industry. Food, still small dishes, is the highlight of the dining experience, and wine and beer have accepted a secondary, albiet equally important, supporting role. In my brief observation of Spanish cities, probably 60-70% of food shops are made up by tapas bars. You can find them squeezed sardine-style with their daily menus displayed on sidewalk chalkboards. Immigrants have added cultural accents to tapas as well with mainly Mexican and South American influences visible in the predominantly Mediterranean landscape. As for Javier, "Why open a tapas bar in lieu of another restaurant, say French of Italian perhaps?" His response captured for me the essence of the Spanish spirit and culture, "I guess I'm Spanish at heart."

* Many thanks to Javier for his time, enthusiasm, and input - and a photo to come.

The MENU - (descriptions of the dishes)
The history of tapas is reflected in the humble, simplicity of the dishes themselves. While tapas bars are built as a bar serving alcohol, the scene is family friendly and the perfect social gathering place; the food is comfort food at is glorious best. From four experiences at three different bars, I sampled delicacies ranging from 1.8 - 12 euros a piece. My last meal confirmed that price is not necessarily an indicator of quality, authenticity, and most importantly taste.

Patatas (potatoes) are ubiquitous throughout tapas (I told you, comfort food). Starchy medallions 2 stacked poker chips thick are fried to a golden brown, wading in a shallow pool of olive oil, and doused in a variety of thick, rich sauces. Supreme quality olive oil makes up a solid staple of the Spanish diet. The several onces of fat I soaked in during my first night off the ship were of the most satisfying and necessary source of energy I had consumed in days. Aceitunas (meaty green olives) brined and served in olive oil (yes, more) are a classic starter. Anything and everything is served "a la plancha." From fish, crawfish, and calamari, to sacks of fish roe, if it can be grilled or fried, it will be. Paella, creamy short-grain bomba rice (similar to Italian Arborio) is the Spanish manifestation of all things beautiful in a huge shallow cooking vessel. Seafood and meats nestle in between sweet pimientos (roasted, marinated peppers) and the entire saucy dish is seasoned with saffron and paprika dulce. And for the food adventurous, menudo con garbanzo is a seriously substantial stew of the lining of cow stomach and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in a rich, sweet concentrated sauce.