Home > Recipes (old version) > Tapas Recipe Ideas

Tapas Recipe Ideas

TAPAS – a Spanish word meaning snacks, canapés or finger foods that originated in Spain, they come in many forms and can be a hot or cold snack. The serving of Tapas is designed to encourage conversation as people are not focused on sitting down and eating an entire meal. Tapas are a very sociable way of entertaining and a lot of fun.

THE STORY OF TAPAS There are several stories about the origin of Tapas which are part of the folk-law. The Spanish have been eating this way for centuries and tapas have known to have been around since the 1221. It was told that King Alfonso X, ‘el Sabio ‘or “the wise one” made sure Castilian taverns served wine with something to eat, so that the wine would not go straight to the clients heads. Another story claims that while on a long trip the king Alfonso X stopped to rest in a small town, at the Tavern the in - keeper served the king a drink covered with a piece of ham to stop dust from entering the kings drink. The king apparently liked it, and when he asked for a second glass, he requested another Tapa or “cover” just like the first. Whatever the true origin of Tapas enjoy them over the up- coming holidays just like the Spanish do, with a glass of wine and a relax attitude.

HOW MANY TAPAS / FINGER FOODS TO MAKE PER PERSON? For many people, one of the toughest challenges when entertaining is trying to decide how much food they will need to serve. There is no actual science for this and many factors will come into play when you work out your quantities. Consider the length of your party, the type of food you will be serving and, the composition of men, women and children, as well as the richness and portion sizes of the food you plan to serve. The time of your party is also very important, as guests are likely to be hungrier around meal times. Remember when hosting a Tapas evening, nuts, olives, chips etc provide a little extra security that you’ll have enough for everyone but requires no extra work.

AVERAGE QUANTITEIS
Allow for approximately 5 - 6 snacks per adult per hour.
At an event or party allow for 6 - 8 savoury snacks & 4 - 5 sweet treats.

OUR TAPAS MENU
Baby Potatoes Wrapped in Bacon with Honey Dijon Mustard Sauce (2 per person)
Spiced Meatballs with Matakana Bell Pepper Sauce (3 per person)
Chicken Bruschetta with Fire Grilled Red Pepper Aioli (1 - 2 per person)
Rump Steak Bruschetta (1 - 2 per person)
Tonkatsu (Crumbed Fried Pork) with Barbeque Sauce (2 per person)

Baby Potatoes Wrapped in Bacon with Honey Dijon Mustard Sauce	Spiced Meatballs with Matakana Bell Pepper Sauce
Chicken Bruschetta with Fire Grilled Red Pepper	Rump Steak Bruschetta
Tonkatsu (Crumbed Fried Pork) with Barbecue Sauce	Tonkatsu (Crumbed Fried Pork) with Barbecue Sauce

THE STORY OF TAPAS

HOW MANY TAPAS / FINGER FOODS TO MAKE PER PERSON?