Basic tapas vocabulary
Before you venture out to try the festival of flavours that is Seville, we recommend memorising some key words to help you navigate the menus. If you suddenly find yourself in areas like La Alameda, Los Remedios, Macarena, Nervión or Triana, you’re on the right track!A tapa of… adobo? Why not? Although this is a very traditional snack, these small portions of marinated fish (normally dogfish), dipped in flour and fried, can be dazzling in more modern, sophisticated presentations. Only one thing is guaranteed when you order a montadito: the piece of bread, hot or cold, which encloses the filling. And the expression ‘pes-pa’? If you’re in a bar in Seville, it means swordfish, delicious griddled. If someone offers you a fino or a manzanilla, it’s a sherry, from the Jerez designation of origin, and if you’re served a ‘rebujito’, the alcohol has been diluted a little with a fizzy mixer. These technical terms should be enough to get you through an evening of ‘tapeo’ in Seville, and you’re sure to pick more up as you go.
