What separates a tasca from a bar elsewhere in the world is its tapas. The delightful tradition of serving small snacks with drinks is found all over Spain, but attains its greatest heights in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville Santiago de Compostela and the smaller, sophisticated San Sebastián.
Tapa means to cover or lid, and the association with appetizers is thought to have come from the old habit of placing a slice of bread or a piece of ham on top of one's wine glass (probably to keep out insects). The edible "lid" was the precursor of modern-day tapas, which now number in the hundreds in variety. One bar in Madrid offers over eighty different tapas on the menu!
Tapas are tiny appetizers, no more than a mouthful or three, and can range from the most basic - a sliver of ham or cheese - to quite elegant and sophisticated hors d'oeuvre and canapes. Any small serving of food can be classed as tapas. A single grilled quail, two little fried croquettes, a bowl of nécoras (small crabs) in paprika sauce, a toothpick loaded with cubed cheese and pickle, an anchovy rolled around a pickled chili, a single artichoke heart, one perfect large scallop lightly cooked on the griddle.
Tapas are intended as appetizers, as a nibble before the meal, not as the meal in themselves. But I find myself drawn to this way of eating and often prefer a leisurely evening at different tascas, to dinner at a conventional restaurant.
What then is a tasca? It's essentially the bar where the Spaniards gather before lunch or dinner for a drink, a chat and tapas. The gregarious Spanish love to talk just about as much as they love to eat and drink, and are drawn to crowds where they can loudly, and often passionately, air their views on the world and its ways.
In Spain you simply do not drink without eating, even if it is just the little dish of small olives or roasted nuts they promptly pass across with your glass of wine as soon as you've squeezed into position at the bar. Wine, beer and cider are the usual taberna drinks, but many are happy to serve spirits and nonalcoholic drinks. Tascas are not usually elegant, but functional and atmospheric. They are often small, with standing room only and space for no more than thirty and a limited number of specialty tapas on their menu. But some can be quite cavernous, filling up with a hundred noisy patrons at peak hours and fashionably abuzz with action and noise.
You are not meant to dine, simply to snack, so most tascas do not have seating or tables. Most people have their favorite tasca, where they can be sure to find familiar faces and their favored tapas. But many choose to go de tapas, bar hopping from one place to another.
