Coming to Barcelona, one thing that is good to know is the importance of tapas. Tapas are basically just small portion dishes that are unique to the Spanish culture and very popular throughout the city of Barcelona. Before coming to Barcelona, I only tried “tapas” a few times, so I was excited to experience the Spanish culture through the many different types of tapas.
I attended a tapas workshop through CEA and it really opened my eyes to the hundreds of different kinds of tapas and allowed me to firsthand participate in the making of tapas. In this workshop, we learned about where tapas originated from (there was really no origin of tapas), and why they are such a popular dish in Barcelona. Learning how trying a bunch of small dishes will fill you up faster than just one main dish was interesting to know. In a group of about 15 other CEA students, we split up into small groups all making different dishes from the recipes that were given.
My roommate and I decided to make the Spanish Devil Egg tapa, which consisted of many steps in order to create this small dish. We went step by step all on our own to create this dish, which, was made up of a hard-boiled egg with yolk, olives, peppers, and mayonnaise filling. Personally I would never order Spanish devil eggs, so I was happy I not only got to learn how to make something new, but I also got to try something new. Along with the eggs, students made bruschetta, tuna filled peppers, calamari, cheese and meat platter, and Spanish pancakes. Everyone got to try to a bit of each and all came to the conclusion that we were full by the end of the workshop. If traveling or studying abroad in Barcelona, I recommend attending a tapas workshop because it opens your eyes to a new perspective of the Spanish culture through one of my favorite things to do; eating.
