Celebrate World Tapas Day on the 15th of June where many restaurants around Ireland are offering tasty tapas menus and special offers.

Thanks to the Spanish Tourism Board, Ireland is one of thirty countries around the world that will celebrate World Tapas Day. Whether you are a ‘foodie’ or just like an excuse to dine out, there are plenty of restaurants, bars and venues with promotions to help you enjoy Spain’s signature cuisine. Here are some of my favourites:

The Taste of Dublin, Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 2.

The annual Taste of Dublin will celebrate World Tapas Day over it’s four day event. There will be a feature stand from the Spanish Tourism Board, beside the Port House Restaurant. Chefs from Lanzarote will perform culinary demonstrations and there will be lots of tasty tapas and Spanish wines for you to enjoy.

#Worldtapasday @tasteofdublin16 #riojatapas #tapas #foodie #rioja 🍷

A post shared by Sarah Slattery (@the_travel_expert) on Jun 16, 2016 at 6:58am PDT

The Port House, South William Street, Dublin 2.

One of our most popular tapas restaurants will offer Almejas con Jamon (clams with ham and sherry) plus a glass of wine for €10.

No. 5 Vinoteca, Merrion Row, Dublin 2.

The highly rated piano bar has a set menu with 6 tapas and 2 glasses of Cava for €50 for two sharing.

Piglet, Temple Bar, Dublin 1.

The popular Cow’s Lane wine bar will offer two tapas and a glass of wine for €9.50.

Market Bar, Fade Street, Dublin 2.

The large Gastro Bar and tapas restaurant will offer guests a tapas sampler for €15, available from 12-5pm. This will include three tapas, a dessert and a glass of Sangria.

Cava Bodega, Galway.

One of Galway’s best Spanish restaurants will be offering complimentary churros to guests having 5 or more tapas on the day.

As much as I love Spanish cuisine, and tapas in particular, it’s not always about how good they taste. The Spanish tradition of eating tapas brings friends together at mealtimes. There is nothing better than sharing a variety of foods and wine with your friends 🍷 So which ever option you choose, grab a few mates and celebrate World Tapas Day together this year!

Click here for more details on all promotions and activities.

Sarah

Today, 22nd of October we celebrate World Tapas Day! There are celebrations taking place in many cities throughout the world and none better than right here in Dublin!

The Spanish Tourism Office has teamed up with Taste City Fusion to offer you a ‘taste of tapas’. This allows you to get one free tapa plus a glass of Spanish wine when you buy a tapa from one of these participating restaurants. If you really want to celebrate in style, why not try the Dublin Tapas Trail? Enjoy a spread of tapas and a full glass of wine in three of Dublin’s top tapas restaurants, during a three hour tour. Voted as the best place to have ‘kick ass’ tapas by Lovin Dublin – for €50, it’s definitely worth a try!

I had was very fortunate to experience a master class and tasting experience of Jamón Ibérico last night. I never thought of the time and detail that goes into the curing process – to think Ibérico ham is cured for 2 – 4 years! The difference in taste from various parts of the ham, some fruity, some salty was something I had never considered before. Even the aroma varied depending on the temperature of the ham. As one of the million Irish people who visit Spain every year, I was shocked at how little I knew about the tapas that I love so much! Of course we had some fantastic Rioja to go with it ❤

One of my favourite dishes is prawn pil-pil (garlic prawns) and its always the first thing my kids ask for when we are in Spain. Check out this recipe I found which incorporates Ibérico Ham. The combination of the spicy prawns and the salty ham – and it doesn’t look too difficult either! With the bank holiday weekend approaching, maybe you could make some yourself?

Tapas are not only about the food, it brings good friends together to share and experience a variety of different foods. There are many theories of how tapas originated, the name tapas means ‘cover’. Some stories are told of how the tapas (cover) was placed on top of the glass of wine, others about the sick King Alfonso who could only eat small amounts. My favourite is that bar owners gave locals a small amount of whatever they were cooking for their own meal, to accompany their customers wine or beer. Of course everyone likes free food, so over time bars all over Spain started serving small pieces of food with their drinks. With each bar trying to offer better tapas than its neighbour, the standard grew higher and higher. Eventually the tradition extended to all parts of Spain. The tapa, a Spanish hallmark has now been exported all over the world with some of the best michelin star restaurants now serving tapas.

So when booking your next holiday to Spain, don’t just think sunshine and beaches. Think gastronomy and tapas, and enjoy the real taste of Spain.

Sarah