Dining in: Portion control

If you haven’t tried tapas, either in a local restaurant or in your own kitchen, you’re missing out. These Spanish-inspired appetizers or snacks are one of the most popular food trends of the moment, and they work well in our hot, humid climate—which is akin to that of the sun-drenched Iberian peninsula—because they typically use a lot of the fresh, citrusy, cooling ingredients indigenous to both places.

Though tapas is relatively new on the local food scene, the culinary genre has been around a long time. Though many think tapas means “taste”—because it’s served as a small, taster-size portion of food—the word is actually derived from the Spanish “tapar,” which means “to cover.” Traditionally, Spain bartenders placed a slice of bread topped with a piece of cured salty ham over a glass of wine when they served it to keep out the fruit flies. The idea evolved and bars and restaurants throughout Spain began serving little appetizer portions or small plates of food to enjoy along with a glass of wine or sherry. Read more and find some tasty tapas recipes here.