After a light breakfast in the morning and a mid-morning snack a few days later, Tapas are served at 1 or so in the afternoon then again an hour or two before dinner.  There are usually two large meals per day, lunch around 2 and dinner around 10 at night. 

You might think they get tired of chicken wings and potato skins as offered in US bars but they don’t serve such foods.  In Spain, the tapas are simple to prepare but full of flavor and texture.  They are sometimes offered for free with a purchase of a drink.

Simpler tapas include marinated green olives, small bits of rabbit mixed with garbanzo beans and snails cooked in a tomato sauce.  Cured ham, called jamon, is commonplace as well.  You may find delicacies of grilled octopus, fried cheese, sole fish with pine nuts and raisins or even fried goat cheese.

You’ll find plenty of garlic, olive oil, paprika, saffron and loads of peppers in the cuisine of Spain and the tapas are no different.  In the Northern, more mountainous regions, you’ll find beef and lamb in many of the meat dishes.  As you travel South, you’ll enjoy more seafood and lighter fare. 

Meeting over tapas is quite normal in Spain.  This may be a casual business meeting while watching football (US Soccer) or a multi-million dollar merger negotiation.  If tapas are served by traveling wait-staff on toothpicks, it is important to keep the toothpicks, as this may be how the bill is tallied at the end of an evening.  Do not treat tapas as a full meal, these really are small snacks to be enjoyed, savored but not to fill you up.