A TAPAS CHEATSHEET (2 : What to eat) - A guide to tapassing in Madrid by Adventurous Appetites.

Here is the second in our series of short articles designed to help you on your quest for the best tapas in Madrid with tips on how to do it, how to ask for it, what to order and where to go.

What are the best tapas in Madrid?

Generally speaking, Spanish tapas are all about simple, fresh, great quality ingredients cooked in a simple way, really letting the flavours explode in your mouth.

The lovely thing about tapassing in a group is you get to try such a wide variety of different dishes in one night.

The best tapas in Spanish cuisine go way beyond your standard patatas bravas and paella... On our tours we tend to stick to the traditional, hearty tapas whilst encouraging you to expand your culinary boundaries to try new and amazing things.

Here are some of our favourite tapas to keep your eyes open for and get you salivating! Some of these you will be able to experience on one of Adventurous Appetites' Madrid Tapas Tours, so if you fancy joining us for a fun and social night of great food and drink, just get in touch!

1) Zamburiñas a la plancha - Scallops seared on the hot plate for a couple of minutes with a bit of garlic and parsley.

2) Alcachofas en flor a la parilla - Melt-in-your-mouth artichoke hearts cooked on the grill to give a toasted crunchy outside. With or without alioli.

3) Berenjenas con miel y salmorejo - Battered aubergine (eggplant) served with honey and a cold tomatoey soup, a dish from the south of Spain.

4) Rabo de toro - bull's tail stew, slow cooked until it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.

5) Gambas al ajillo - Garlic shrimp sizzling in olive oil, sprinkled with a touch of parsley and with a bit of a kick from a cayenne pepper or two. Dip that bread in!!!!

6) Tortilla española - the ubiquitous Spanish omelette. With or without onion, with different fillings - the possibilities are endless! We like it with and "poco cuajado" (runny in the middle). Make sure you try it freshly cooked!

7) Pimientos de Padrón (unos pican, otros no!!!) - Little green peppers from Padrón in Galicia (some are spicy, some are not!!)Like a sort of Russian roulette with peppers. Delicious with the crunch of sea salt and that added risk!

8) Croquetas - Bechemel nuggets filled with ham/fish/mushroom etc, rolled through flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried. If they look too perfect, don't order them, they'll be frozen!!!

9) Pulpo a la gallega - Don't think rubbery...! This octopus is really tender with the smokiness of paprika and the crunch of sea salt.

10) Gambones a la plancha - Madrid actually has the 2nd biggest seafood market in the world so seafood is great. Watch out for great big king prawns cooked on the griddle. Messy but so worth it!!!

---

Next week we will be publishing the next instalment in this series -YOUR TAPAS CHEATSHEET (3 : Where to go)