Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word tapas. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word tapas, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say tapas in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word tapas you have here. The definition of the word tapas will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition oftapas, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
The snacks are called tapas because in the old days a piece of toast was served, too, so that you might have a "top" on your glass of sherry, a lid that would prevent the flies from getting into the glass.
Most food scholars agree that the tapas tradition originated in the wine-growing regions of Andalusia, eventually spreading throughout the country. The Moors (Muslim Arabs), who dominated Spain from the beginning of the eighth century until the end of the fifteenth century, settled in the same area, and their meze tradition undoubtedly had an influence on the rise of the tapa.
Usage notes
Tapas takes pluralagreement when parsed as a group of small dishes, or singular agreement when parsed as a single order or set dish. Thus one can say:
“tapas”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03