A 'tapa' is a 'lid' or 'cover'. In the early days of tapas, a slice of cheese or ham was given with your drink and placed over your drink. There is some debate over why exactly this was done:* To keep out the flies
* To hide the smell of the bad wine
* To keep the wind from blowing your drink everywhere
You can find Tapas served all around the Mediterranean. In France, they're called hors d'oeuvres, in Italy, antipasti; in Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt, they use the word meze; and in Morocco, mukabalatt. Even Venice has its own custom of cicheti, the local equivalent of tapas and meze.
Our country has taken these delights to even a higher level with our 'Fusion' versions popping up in restaurants and in our own home entertaining. The belief is those that once you start with Tapas you should end with them, and they they are not starters. These are a great menu idea when you are having a gathering of guests after lunch, but too early for supper...
Catering has allowed me to play with an array of ingredients, and I needed something sweet for two reasons today ~ Braised Pear Pecan Ice Cream Parfait ~ Mini Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
Definition of Tapas is courtesy of this website, and has more amusing information on this subject, so check it out!
http://gospain.about.com/od/fooddrink/qt/tapasdefinition.htm
*Ceviche Vodka Shooters
Tomato-Shrimp Masa Boats ~ Curried Tofu Stuffed Mushrooms ~ Chorizo Cheese Balls ~ and other goodies over the past two days ~ Bon Appetite!