Food in Seville: Tapas!

Sevillanos Love Tapas!

Seville is the capital of Andalucía, the 2^nd largest autonomous community in Spain. Food is an intrinsic part of the Spanish culture and this is also true for the Sevillanos. Anyone that has ever visited Spain will be able to tell you that the Spanish love tapas – almost bite size portions of food served on a tiny saucer – and Seville is no exception with 4000 tapas bars to choose from! The beauty of Tapas is that it turns dinner into a social event.

How To “Do Tapas”

The customary way “to do tapas” is to walk from one bar to another trying one or two dishes at each place. The idea is that after 4 or 5 bars (depending on how hungry you are when you start) you will have eaten the equivalent of a full meal. Tapas almost always cost somewhere in the region of 1 or 2 Euros. Therefore, it is a very economical way of eating out.  What is more, for 1 or 2 Euros, you usually get a glass of wine or a beer for free!

Origin of Tapas

It is commonly thought that tapas first came about centuries ago, when a barman came up with the ingenious idea of offering his customers an edible lid (“tapa”) for their drinks in order to keep flies out of their beer!

Handy Hint

It’s important to note that tapas are usually eaten standing up – if you wish to sit down then you may be charged for the privilege!

For Friendly Bar Staff Head to “Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas”

If you want to go out for tapas in Seville, it is worth knowing that the most of the bars are located behind the cathedral – that is to say in and around“Calle Mateos Gago”. A good starting point is a local favorite: “Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas”. There is a great vibe in this place owing to the friendly bar staff and the sea of napkins on the floor! “Las Columnas” offers a great selection of tapas including mini sandwiches (“montaditos”), paté (“prigá”) and chorizo.

Vegetarian Tapas

 It doesn’t take long to notice that the counters in almost every tapas bar in Seville are dominated by meat and fish. Therefore, “Bar Alfalfa” is a real find as it serves nothing but delicious vegetarian tapas such as marinated aubergines and pesto bruschetta. It is situated in “Plaza Alfalfa” and they even have homemade cakes if you can squeeze one of those in too!

Photo by clspeace