We couldn’t leave Spain without going on a tapas tour! Here’s what to expect on your tapas tour – a full review!
This post was in written in collaboration with Musement.
I love food. Seriously, I’m one of those live-to-eat kind of people. I’ll try anything once, and I love learning about different places through ingredients, mealtime practices, and eating.
While in Barcelona recently, I took a Musement Tapas & Wine Tour. This was my first food tour and I’m now utterly convinced i should take a food tour wherever I go. You learn so much about a place through food, and you meet other travellers who all bring stories, experiences, and wisdom to share over dinner.
Our tour started at 6pm – early by Spanish standards, so you avoid the crowds! We were whisked along to four different restaurants, with stops for history in between.
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THAT’S why tapas were created?!
“Tapas were created so you don’t get too drunk” were some of the first words our tour guide said to us. In the 13th century, when alcohol was cheaper than food (imagine that!), tapas were born to slow how quickly the alcohol would go to the head. To carry on the history of tapas, we had a little something to drink at every place we stopped at.
What we ate (and drank).
One of my favourite spots Phil pouring sidra One of the stops – no tourists in sight!
Our first stop was soooo fun – we learned all about Spanish cider, or sidra. It’s made from JUST fermented apple juice, so you have to pour it from super high up to aerate the drink and make it taste sweeter. As soon as you’ve poured it, you have to drink it like a shot. We had that along with some flaming chorizo. Yum.
Vermouth was the star of the second stop. We learned how to properly drink vermouth, and the super-sweet drink was balanced out with salt-cured tuna and herring. Whilst some of the other people in our group thought these were a little too fishy for their taste, Phil and I loved them! Vermouth is sweet, but strong, so be careful with how much you drink – there’s more to come!
Stop three was filled with your classic ‘Spanish’ food. We had a glass of red wine each, along with assorted Iberico hams and sausages, as well as plenty of locally produced cheeses. We also learned how to prepare the tomato bread you’re served everywhere in Spain, and we’ll definitely be incorporating that appetiser into our routine back at home. I loved learning how to make such a simple appetiser at the table. It’s nice when you can bring little pieces of your travel home with you to remember a certain moment.
Our final stop was at a sweet little underground place. I loved the variety of the places we ate at – they were hidden gems that we never would have found without taking this tour. We were given a glass of white wine (SO GOOD) and sous-vide cod with a hazelnut tomato sauce. It was so beautifully cooked and the sauce was incredible – delicate but full of flavour. We were also served patatas bravas and an octopus-potato dish.
By this stop, we had all gotten to know each other and I really enjoyed the company around us. The table was full of laughter as we continued to eat and drink. By dessert, a toasted slice of bread with rich chocolate, sea salt, and olive oil, I was stuffed! The tour ended at 9 pm and we were thoroughly exhausted and filled to the brim with both food and drink.
Food tours = my new obsession
I’m convinced that in every new city I go to, a food tour is a must. You learn so much more about a region through food. If you go at the beginning of your trip, you’ll be taken to some of the best hidden gems a city has to offer, and you’ll know exactly where to get good food. Francesc, our amazing tour guide, even emailed us a list of further recommendations so we could continue to eat at the best places on our holiday.
If you eat a mediocre meal, you won’t remember it. It really isn’t that big of a deal. But when you eat a GREAT meal, you remember it. You remember the tastes of the region you’re in, the smells of the fresh food, and the company you’re with. It’s experiences like these that you want to remember when you get home. If you’re on the fence about booking a food tour, I’m here to tell you they are absolutely worth it! Since coming home from Barcelona, I’ve been looking up food tours in Rome to take! Even though I live here, I feel that a local guide can still direct me to new places to eat – I might even find a new favourite!
There’s something so important in the practice of sharing food. Eating together has the unique ability to take a group of strangers and turn them into friends for the night. If you’re looking to connect with others, to learn about the city you’re in, and to embrace new cultures through taste, a food tour is the way to go.
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