Tapas has been a part of Spanish culinary for hundreds of years.

There is a story telling that The Spanish King Alfonso X (The Wise) decreed that no wine was to be served in any of the inns in the land of Castile, unless accompanied by something to eat. Surely could wine alone get too heavily in one's head and cause trouble.

La tapa means a cover or a lid. At the beginning tapas was covering a glass or a jug. Salty snack was enjoyed with a wine and it served as a protection against insects or other unpleasant visitors. At that time the tapa was normally a slice of ham or a sausage, sometimes also a slice of cheese.

There is another story telling that when King Alfonso XIII was visiting a province of Cadiz he stopped to rest in some local bar. He ordered a glass of Jerez wine, the same the English named Sherry later on. At that moment a wind blew through an open window and to stop the sand getting in Kings glass a clever waiter got an idea and placed a slice of ham on a top of Kings wine glass. As the King asked him why he'd done so, the waiter hesitatingly explained that he had done so only to protect Kings wine from getting undrinkable. The King liked the idea, ate the slice of ham and asked for another one! As his guards saw this, they all ordered the same.

Wine is normally combined with tapas but beer also does the trick. Choosing different tapas portions you can easily have a delicious lunch or even dinner. There are several choices to pick. There is still something that does not belong among tapas - the sweet cakes and desserts.

To have tapas is to have a break and enjoy!