In today’s post, we are going to speak about that great moment of the day called Aperitivo. I am sure that most of you think you know what aperitivo is, but I have to say that you are probably wrong!
I am not speaking about the Italian aperitivo with Aperol. When I am speaking about aperitivo I don’t have in mind one of those fancy ones in a rooftop garden (so ‘on-trend nowadays!) in London.
The real aperitivo is cheap and is not posh. The real Spanish aperitivo is served in a small tavern where the food is not high-class cuisine but is great and made with heart and soul. I am going to explain what aperitivo is based on personal experience. Here we go!
The beginnings
It is Sunday morning, one of those really lazy ones, where the sofa is your best friend and you wouldn’t leave it for anything. Suddenly your phone rings and here you have that same message in your friend´s chat. “Same place and the same time?”
That´s the start of the aperitivo, automatically everyone knows that the time is around 1pm, I said around because Spanish people don’t really rush with the time, it better not to settle a time and like that you´ll never be late.
The place is the same bar, the main bar, the regular meeting point with your friends, that place where you feel like at home because, actually you have spent more time there than at home, where the waiter knows what you want and in more than one occasion he’s been your therapist.
What exactly is aperitivo?
The aperitivo is a small drink and snack having before lunch, is like a starter but the problem is that sometimes could never get to an end. So many people know that is a waste of time to cook for a Sunday lunch because they probably won´t have it!
With every drink ordered in the bar, a succulent tapa is coming with it. On Sundays, it’s usually paella for the first round, and from there you can have patatas bravas, olives, calamares, it depends on the bar, so that´s why you need to know how to choose, and the best way to know it is trying different places.
The best part of all of this is that the tapa is completely free, you will pay just the drinks that you had. With this explanation, it is understandable that whenever people get home, no one is hungry to have lunch.
It could be static or dynamic – with this, I mean that it could be in just one bar or you and your friends could have your own bar route and go having rounds in different places and trying the different main tapas of each one.
For me, this second option is the best one.
The problem with this Sunday meetings is that you will never be sure when they will finish, so keep ready for at some point in the afternoon change your regular beer order and ask for a gin and tonic.
At this moment is when you will realize that ‘light afternoon drinks’ went out of the window. This is how at least 80% of Spanish like to spend a Sunday afternoon, there´s no better way to recharge the batteries for the week ahead than having some drinks with friends and family while enjoying some food.
Nacho Martín
Spanish Express blogger
