tatapas

[xJx]

just got back from a week in tenerife and the restaurant on the complex we stayed on gave free tortillas out with every drink we bought. they were so nice that i asked the waiter the name of the tortillas and found out that they are known as 'tatapas'. they are literally little crispy tortilla chips which were served to us with a salsa dip. the waiter said we cant buy them in the supermarket so i guess they are home made. anyone ever heard of these or know where i can track down a recipe from? we were in tenerife (spain) but it was a mexican resturant so not sure what country they orginate from. thanks

[capper1985]

the phrase 'tapas' refers to the style of dining,
in spain they give you free 'bar snacks' if you go to a tapas bar in the u.k your menu will be low priced dishes...

this is because you are s'posed to order more than one dish the main chain in the uk is called 'Latasca' I know theres one in liverpool which is excellent this somes it up quite well from http://www.latasca.com

The Spanish word �tapa� actually means �lid� and the concept of tapas originated many years ago. When the farmers and labourers had finished work for the day, they would often go to the �tascas� for a well earned drink. The innkeeper would place a slice of bread on top of their drink to stop the flies from going in! Gradually they began to place things on top of the bread, like cured meats and sausages, and they were then eaten as snacks to accompany the drink.



Tapas has now evolved into an entirely unique way of eating. The idea at La Tasca is that you can choose from many different types of food and eat as little or as much as you like at any time of the day. This allows people to eat to suit their own appetites.

[pingping]

hi xJx, I know a nice recipe for homemade tortilla chips.

To make them, you buy some soft flour tortillas (like the ones you would use for making fajitas) and cut them up into small triangles. You can then deep fry them for a few seconds to make them crispy. While they are still hot, you can then sprinkle on some salt pr paprika for a slightly spicier flavour.

[Hapus]

I wouldn't say it was "unique", the greeks and syrians have similar concepts and so do we buffets/smorgasboard. If you live anywhere near Chester, (UK) there is a fantastic place called Politik that I visited last time I was there. Blows LaTasca out of the water (and I love LaTasca).

[jiggy-gb]

You should actually use corn tortilla's. These are what we used to use in a mexican restaurant to make taco shells and tortilla chips. If you do a search fro corn tortillas there are quite a few suppliers up and down the country. All you need to do is cut them up into 8's, easiest is to have a small stack of about 6-8 and cut through them all together, and then deep fry them until they float, drain well and lightly sprinkle with cayenne pepper then store in an air tight container once cool.

[tictactoe]

Nothing better either than some home made salsa to go with your tortilla chips!