Tapas 'Til I Drapas

How did we get so lucky to be able to take a class that lets you eat, eat, and eat some more delicious Spanish food? I am confident that tapas hopping with Andy’s class will always be a favorite memory from my trip to Salamanca.

It’s very difficult to choose my favorite tapa thus far, let alone my least favorite. However, if my life truly depended on it, I would have to say my favorite tapa has been the croqueta. I’m a sucker for anything cheesy and breaded, and this particular croqueta really fit the bill: a small fried food roll, the croqueta makes for a delicious delicacy as well as tasty and efficient fast food. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the croqueta I sampled, but just imagine a five-star mozzarella stick filled with potatoes, cheese, and ham. Perfectly fried on the outside with a soft and flavorful center, I would recommend croquetas to anyone and everyone who is lucky enough to be able to tapas hop in Salamanca.

My favorite drink so far has been the rebujito. After a little research, I discovered that “rebujito” comes from the Spanish verb “arrebujar,” which means tangle, muddle or jumble – which makes perfect sense! The rebujito is a refreshing jumble of white wine (served over ice) with a generous top-up of lemonade or soda water to take the edge off the alcohol content. Yum!

As for what I liked the least, (as much as it pains me as a dedicated meat-eater), I would have to choose the mini ribs. Although tapas portions are almost always quite small, I was fairly disappointed with the lack of meatiness on these ribs. As you can tell from the picture, it seemed like the majority of the meat on the bone was fat - normally I wouldn’t complain about this, since fat is often the tastiest part, but it seemed to be the only thing I could taste on these little guys. But as with most things in life, we all deserve a second chance – I guarantee I’ll be trying more ribs here in Salamanca in the near future.

Ribs

Prawns

One other thing that I really can’t wait to try is prawns, or gambas. From what I’ve seen this week, bars and restaurants tend to put whole prawns into the dish, so eating requires tearing apart the tiny crustaceans to get to the good stuff inside. The mess makes it all the more fun to eat, ¿no?

- Allie