It doest mater if you are a solo traveler or not, you need to make a Madrid Tapas night walking tour. This tour is appropriate to eat small portions of different food with tasty flavors and Spanish wine or beer. The word tapa has been used for this kind of aperitives for a long time. It was used to protect the glass of wine, with a small slice of bread on top, from any insects. On the bread the people used to put an appetizer like a piece of raw ham or some cheese.
Since that time all over Spain started the tradition to eat small portions of food while drinking wine. Yes, at the end it is like eating a complete meal but in 3 hours and by small portions taken in different tapas bars. Some hungry people get desperate but at the end all of them enjoy this culinary experience.
A Madrid tapas night walking tour, is a widespread habit of the Spanish who spend an evening in company while eating. Believe it or not, they make a complete tour guided by one one person of the group that each day changes. They start in bars ordering drinks and eating tapas, but I assure you they do not do it with any gourmet end.
Is ideal to make this kind of Madrid tapas trip in the evening or before lunch to fight the heat. You enter a bar ordering a drink and the waiter will punctually ask “what do you want as a tapa?”. He is going to look at the various alternatives usually exposed behind a showcase you can choose. Often in Andalusia, in traditional or less touristy places, tapa is already included in the price of the drink.
Making a cultural Madrid Tapas Night Walking Tour
More and more often, in conjunction with celebrations or village festivals, in Madrid people make Ruta de la Tapa 2022. A gastronomic path between the various bars that for the occasion offer an author tapa. This unique experience is not all year, it is only in the last weeks of October. The participants of these tours are provided with a card. The card includes the name and address of all the bars participating. Each tapa consumed is stamped with the respective bar. The brave who finish with the full stamped card will be entitled to a prize and will also be able to give a vote to the best tapa.
So you will understand why not only Spanish people want to do a tapas tour. Tourist trap restaurants attract the attention of tourists writing tapas everywhere in the menu. They serve a complete meal in a small dish and call it a tapas, this is totally distorting the tradition. So if you really want to live an authentic experience do not eat just in one place. Normally a Madrid tapas tour is at least 2:30 hours where you visit at least 3 different tapas places.
Dishes you should try in your Walking Tour
Making a Madrid tapas night walking tour is a must to do in your time in Spain. This is going to upgrade your experience and live a real Spanish adventure. These are some tapas we recommend you not to miss:
- Spanish octopus tapas: a salad of octopus, onion, tomato and bell pepper cut into small squares and seasoned with olive oil.
- Spanish snails : snails, usually cooked in an almond and spice sauce and served in a small terracotta bowl. Final shoe mandatory.
- Montadito de presa de pringà: the montadito is a small stuffed sandwich that is eaten in one, maximum two mouthfuls. I love the one with the socket (a very tasty pork steak) and the one with the pringà (stewed and frayed meat).
- Iberic Ham: timeless raw ham tapa (preferably Iberian) cut with a knife and served on a slice of bread accompanied by olives.
- Potato tortilla : comfort food par excellence, the Spanish potato omelette is high, tasty and with a slightly creamy interior.
The importance of making a Madrid night tapas trip
“Tardeo” is a fashionable term appropriate to allude to the activity of going out for tapas or drinks in the afternoon. Summertime in Madrid can be hard. The heat in the central hours of the day does not allow going around bars to eat tapas. Danger of fainting due to the elevated temperature is greater if you went out the night before and drank alcohol. In a country like this, accustomed to terraceous and survival. As a tip, the concept of ‘tardeo’ has not taken long to spread. From the combination of afternoon and tapas was born the concept of “tardeo”. If you still don’t know the new word, write it down in your agenda because it has become a trend that runs through the main Spanish cities.
But it is not only a matter of going out to take a rod and a lid. The “tardeo” can be extended and applied as a concept to go out for drinks at six and a half in the afternoon. While the 30ºC in the shade melt to the ice cubes and tourists patrol the city in search of the perfect selfie. Only the most skillful are able to combine morning long vermouth with premature delay. This means a high level of professionalism not suitable for novels.
In the cold season, it doesn’t mean that customs and habits must be changed. Tapas are usually washed down with beer, red wine and vermouth. These will keep you warm enough to enjoy the beautiful lights of the city. Also, by night you can see the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations around the city. The inauguration of the Christmas lights in the streets of the city center marks the beginning of these festivities. In addition, these lights become one of the great poles of interest for those who take advantage of that time to visit Madrid. As for the date of lighting Christmas in Madrid 2021 it will take place at the end of November.
In addition to Madrid Tapas night walking tour you can find:
Tapas Experience in Madrid
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Tapas and Wine Tour in Madrid
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