Spain is a country with many traditions, from which we highlight one, the aperitivo. The Royal Spanish Academy defines it as the drink and food taken before a main meal and that opens the appetite, an acceptable definition but one that does not explain its meaning.
The aperitivo is more than just a drink and something to eat. It is a way to get together with friends, as a couple or with family before the meal and have a chat, to have a laugh and have a good time, leaving problems and the week’s stress aside for a moment. Also, for students undertaking a Spanish course in Spain it is a way to learn Spanish outside the classroom.
Typical snack in Spain
Normally, during the aperitivo it is usual to have a beer, a soft drink or a glass of wine, along with a tapa, be it olives, potatoes, a Spanish omelette snack, Russian salad… or any other tapa, as there are more and more types of tapas everyday, from classics to the most innovative ones.
The tradition to go out for tapas or for an aperitivo is very old, although we do not know exactly when it started as some tell many surprising stories about its origins. But undoubtedly, it is today one of Spanish’ and foreigners coming to Spain’s pleasures. Also, it is becoming more and more fashionable to celebrate the tapa route or the Tapa Feria, where you can not only taste some of the most common appetizers, but you can see demonstrations, exhibitions and tapa competitions, so these events become a great opportunity for Spanish students to know the culture and Spanish gastronomy a bit better.
You now know that one of the fun ways to socialise in Spain is to meet with someone to have aperitivo, the best thing to do after the lesson in the Spanish school is to go have a tapa with your classmates and to try some of the most typical plates of the city where you are staying to study Spanish in Spain.
Imagen Aperitivo. Ardo Beltz. http://bit.ly/rnynDh
Tags: gastronomy, spanish traditions