WHEN IN SPAIN, EAT AS THE LOCALS EAT: THIS MEANS EATING TAPAS.
In Spain, people live much of their life outdoors on the streets or getting together to pass the time over beers, wine or soft drinks. These are traditionally accompanied by savoury snacks, better known in Spanish as tapas.
Tapas are served with the speed of a fast-food restaurant, but they are prepared with all the care of an artisan restaurant. Customers are presented with small portions of a typical Spanish dishes. Most establishments will provide quite an array of snacks to choose from, both hot or cold. Dishes include delicacies such as anchovies in olive oil, squid in tomato sauce, stuffed olives or peppers, mini skewers of meat and fried potatoes.
In some regions, tapas are served free. Whether this is the case is dependent on local customs of the area, but it is more likely to occur in southern Spain.