Celebrate 'World Tapas Day' with Brindisa

Thursday 16th June 2022 is World Tapas Day in the UK and it is a day that we celebrate with much gusto and excitement at Brindisa. In this months blog we share our favourite tapas dishes and delve into why we love tapas and how it came to be the popular style of eating that we know today.

June 09, 2022 | Saskia Boissevain

When Monika founded Brindisa in 1988 it was partly because of the disconnect between the culinary experiences that she had enjoyed as a teacher in Catalunya and the general, very disparaging perception of Spanish food in the UK. Back then, most British tourists visited Spain on package-holidays and ate cheap, package-holiday food. However, when Monika spent her time in Spain she discovered great restaurants, wonderful cheeses and a culture steeped in an understanding of local food, including tapas!

It led her to believe that, if she could source and import some of the high-quality foods she had encountered in Spain, she could find a market in the UK who loved it as much as she did.

The British home for Spanish ingredients

With a mission to spread the foods she had discovered, Brindisa now stocks the highest quality, premium Spanish ingredients that are perfect for recreating some of our favourite tapas dishes at home.

What is Tapas?

Tapa literally translates as “lid”, a reference to its possible origin as a piece of bread or ham put over the top of a glass or cup to stop flies getting into your drink. Over time it has come to mean small, single portion dishes which are most often eaten in the early evening while people have a stroll and a drink before dinner.

Why is tapas so popular?

While tapas are popular in Spain as part of their gastronomic heritage, in the UK it is more about variety and novelty. We enjoy trying a range of different dishes, many of which may be unfamiliar to us, which offer variety and choice. Some bars and restaurants also work hard to create beautiful small dishes which have an aesthetic appeal which works well on social media. As for us British food lovers, there is no doubt that it is a way of reconnecting to enjoyable experiences that we have had in Spain.