Tapas at Home—The Art of Small Plates
Tapas are a great accessory to any party. These smaller plates of food offer hearty entertaining over delicious cocktails. Tapas are very popular at bars, as they offer an enjoyable dining experience without being tied down to a full-course meal.
You don’t have to frequent a bar in order to have tapas—you can also serve them at home. Tapas do not refer to a specific type of food or dish. Basically, anything that be served in smaller portions can work as tapas.
What qualifies as tapas?
Tapas come in many varieties. You can serve cold tapas or hot tapas, and you can keep them simple or get more complex. A plate of green and black olives is a great tapa. It may be simple, but it is something your guest will gobble up. You could also get fancy and serve seafood-stuffed mushrooms with a lemon glaze. As long as it is served in small portions, anything can be tapas.
Try a tapas-only party.
If you are having a small get together, ditch the everyday fallback of burgers, hotdogs and pizza and serve only tapas. People engage better when slightly munching on smaller foods than devouring full plates. Plus, as long as you serve enough of them, you won’t have to worry about your guests going hungry.
Tapas work well with parties that involve cocktails, especially wine. Sangria is a great complement to tapas, but beer and liquor can also be served. If you are going to have an array of beverages, make sure to include multiple tapas that complement each drink. For example, a deep-fried tapa will go great with beer while a sautéed and flavorful veggie will taste delicious with wine.
You don’t have to limit yourself to serving tapas at large parties. If you’re having a few friends over for the evening, tapas are a great alternative to the bowls of chips and pretzels or wondering what take-out place to order from.
No matter what type of party you’re having, tapas will impress your guests and allow them to eat at their own leisure rather than be forced to sit down and be proper.
Tapas will help the atmosphere of the party. They’re a step up from potato chips, but not quite a full-course meal. Your guests will be able to enjoy themselves and the conversation of others, and the best part is, so will you. And parties are always better when the host can participate too.
Alexandra Kelly is a school teacher and devoted mother with a knack for writing. She is also a grammar fanatic and always makes sure to proof her work with a grammar checker before letting anyone reading it. She is currently helping her son with an Animal Farm summary.
