Tapas Recipes: Our Favorite Spanish Small Plates

We've often said that we never really get full, we just get tired of eating one thing. That's why we're such passionate advocates for snacking. We've done a lot of thinking about this, and we're pretty sure that no food culture understands snacking quite as expertly as the Spanish. So, Spain, thank you so much for tapas.

Tapas, Spanish small plates that are ubiquitous at bars and restaurants from Barcelona to Madrid to New York, are one of our favorite things to eat and cook. The legend goes that the first tapas were pieces of bread or cured meat that drinkers and diners would use to cover their sherry glasses, protecting them from fruit flies. That this cover (literally "tapa" in Spanish) just happened to be edible is further proof that Spain is our eating spirit animal (country). Now, tapas can be cold marinated olives, cheeses and cured meats, slices of tortilla (the Spanish eggy version), or get more complicated with braised morcilla (blood sausage -- definitely don't knock it till you try it), stuffed peppers, fried croquetas, etc. We've rounded up a few of our favorite tapas recipes to give you an idea of the best of the best. What's your favorite tapa?

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