If you visit Spain, you will find that Spanish ceramics
are an important component of Spanish cuisine.
Throughout Spain, you will find that tapas are served in many restaurant
bars. Since I live and work in Spain,
several people have asked me ..”What exactly are tapas?” The simplest answer is that it is a size or
portion of food that is like an appetizer.
In the States, restaurants serve large dishes of appetizers. For example, a couple may share an appetizer
of calamari over drinks, before eating dinner.
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| Fruit Bowls |
In Spain, the portions of appetizers are much smaller
usually. So, you might be out in the
evening with friends, and stop off in several bar restaurants. In each of the places, beer (usually) is
ordered, along with a tapa or two.
People share the tapas. Forks,
crackers or bread is provided. While
chatting, people drink beer or wine and snack on tapas.
Many times olives are served as an “attention” (free
from the bar). Normally, the olives are
produced locally and have pits. So it is
necessary to have a special dish that holds the olives, but also leaves a space
to put the pits. In many instances these
olive dishes are Spanish pottery produced in Andalusia. Tapa dishes come in many sizes and
shapes. Typically, it is Spanish ceramics that measure approximately six inches across. Some dishes are rectangular, some round and
some square.
Many bar restaurants will develop a reputation for
certain types of tapas. Traditional
tapas are serrano or Iberic ham, manchego cheese and olives. Some restaurants will offer a variety of pork
specialties, other will provide a range of vegetable based tapas, some offer
only cold tapas, and other a mix of hot and cold.
In addition to tapas, many restaurants offer half and
full portions. So, when groups go out to
eat and party together, many times 3 or 4 full portions are requested, which
offer the group the equivalent of 1 tapa each of the different dishes.
If you visit Sevilla in Andalusia, - the province where
a large portion of the most colorful Spanish ceramics are produced, you will
find yourself in a historic city famous for the most bar restaurants per
capita, in all of Spain. There are a lot
of bar restaurants! The small,
cobblestone streets are squeezed by outdoor cafes, with the tables and chairs
spread out. Many sites offer shade and
even water misters during the hottest summer months. In Sevilla, tapas are intertwined with
life. A typical day can involve a
mid-morning breakfast at a cafe, then a tapa or two with a couple of beers
after work before going home to a late supper and the family.
Along with olive and tapa dishes from the region, you
can find many other tabletop pieces that are Spanish pottery. Cruets,
used for the olive oil and vinegar is an example. Olive oil is used much like butter is in the
States. It is the first choice for
toast, and it can be used just like butter on vegetables and cereal grain
delights.
Please consider Cactus Canyon Ceramics your source for
wholesale Spanish ceramics. We work
directly with factories throughout Andalusia and Castilla de la Mancha. We can match the factory with your
requirements, and provide boots on the ground for quality control, production
scheduling, shipping and invoicing. We
are your direct source for Spanish pottery.
