Happy Hour

The origin story of tapas is a little-known piece of culinary history. According to local lore in southern Spain, people traveling from bar to bar enjoying a drink were at times bothered by the tiny fruit flies that insisted on taking a dip into their glasses of sherry. To stop the persistent flies, proprietors at these bars would place a small plate, or tapa (from the Spanish verb tapar, meaning to cover) atop each patron’s glass. And, like any accommodating host, not wanting to present their guests with empty plates, barkeepers began placing small savory snacks on these plates. And voila — the tapas tradition was born!