Are you passing through Alicante?  Do you want to know where to get the best tapas away from the typical tourist route?  Join our tapas tour!

The Tapas tour was designed to explore the heart of Alicante and best tapas bars in town.  On tour we visit three unique bars in Alicante city center to enjoy the best gastronomy that the city has to offer.  It’s a great way to get to know the city center through hungry eyes.

For more information:  Gastronomic tours or Tapas tour

What are Spanish tapas?

Let’s start with a short definition of what tapas are.  Tapas are small portions of food accompanied by drinks like wine, beer, vermouth or cider.  There are a lot of different varieties as tapas can be made up of fish, meat, vegetables, nuts, etc.

Originally tapas were known as slices of ham or cheese but today you can find a large variety of tapas on the menu.

Just as definitions and versions of the term vary widely, so do the origin stories of Spanish tapas.

One theory states that the tapa culture was started to prevent alcohol from rising too quickly in a dinner guest’s head ending in a hangover.  Hence, the alcoholic drinks were accompanied by small plates of food.

King Alfonso X “El Sabio” ruled that in Castilian inns it was forbidden to serve wine without a small portion of food.  During this time you can imagine that the food was usually a piece of ham, chorizo or cheese

What are the different types of tapas?

La Tortilla Española

Also known as the tortilla de patatas, Spanish omelet or Potato omelet.  Basically it is egg, potato and olive oil and sometimes onion.

Las Patatas bravas

Fried potatos covered in a tasty spicy sauce, hence the name brava or angry.  Sometimes the potatos are thin and crunchy other are thicker.

 Serrano ham board

Spanish ham can never be missing in a bar, if it’s Iberian ham even better.  It’s one of the staples when talking about Spanish gastronomic products.  When served with tapas it typically is accompanied by bread or small bread sticks called picos.

Cheese board

In Spain there is a great variety of cheese for all different types of  tastes.  Cured, tender, strong, light, etc.  Among the best known countrywide are Manchego, Idiazábal, Roncal, Mahón or Majorero.

Tapas to look for in Alicante

When you do a gastronomic tour in Alicante and enter a tapas bar you should try the traditional Alicantino tapas:  espencat, pericana,  and esgarraet.

Something that you should deffintly not miss is trying tapas elaborated with products from the Medditerrean sea as it has a variety of unique seafood to try.

“Tapear” to go out for tapas in Alicante is a pleasant experience full of flavors that should be encouraged for all to try.

Tapas unique to the Valencian Community

Patatas con alioli (potatos with alioli sauce)

This is probably the most typical tapa in all of the Valencian community and of course in Alicante as well.  It’s a similar version to patatas bravas although the potatos used are a specific type of potato called patata del rio (river potato that is small and is served with the skin) and instead of brava sauce it is served with a good alioli (garlic and olive oil sauce).

Titaina

This is very typical and is served in multiple ways, one of which can be served as the filling of empanadillas (a typical savory pastry or empanada) and also can be served in a sandwhich.

Clochina (Mediterrean musel)

Usually confued with the mussel, the clóchina is more compact in size and has a different color.  It has more flavor as it’s raised in Valencian waters that have a higher concentration of salt.  The clóchina is normally prepared with lemon and oil and garlic and pepper to taste.

Cocas

Cocas have a dough base made from flour, salt and water and have a variety of ingredients on top such as fish, vegetables, and sausages depending on the variety.  The preparation is very simple and delicious.

Esgarraet

This is a tapa made with a mixture of garlic, cod and peppers.

Now it’s one thing to read about tapas and see images on the Internet however the real experience is lived by visiting tapas bars in Alicante.  So do not hesitate to contact us and we will gladly inform you about our gastronomic tours.