Tapas (Revised): The Little Dishes of Spain

The book that introduced English-speaking readers to tapas. First published in 1985 and revised in 2007 with fifty new recipes, Penelope Casas’s collection remains the most comprehensive English-language reference on traditional Spanish small plates. It covers everything from simple marinated olives and salted almonds to elaborate seafood preparations and regional specialties.

Why Start Here

Casas spent decades traveling through Spain, eating in tapas bars from Galicia to Andalusia, and cataloguing the dishes she encountered. Her book reflects that encyclopedic approach. Where other tapas cookbooks focus on a curated selection of greatest hits, Casas gives you the full picture: the simple pintxos of the Basque Country, the fried fish of Cádiz, the cured meats of Extremadura, the rice dishes of Valencia. The revised edition adds contemporary touches that reflect how Spanish cooking evolved in the two decades between editions.

The recipes are written with an American home cook in mind. Casas explains unfamiliar ingredients, suggests substitutions where appropriate, and provides the cultural background that makes each dish meaningful. Her writing is clear and confident, shaped by years of experience as a food journalist for publications like the New York Times and Gourmet.

This book works particularly well as a reference that you return to over time. You might start with the simplest recipes and gradually work your way through more ambitious preparations. The breadth of the collection means you will never run out of new things to try.

What to Expect

A 247-page revised edition that balances tradition with accessibility. The recipes range from effortless (a plate of good olives dressed with herbs) to moderately involved (stuffed peppers, elaborate empanadillas). Casas organizes the book by ingredient type, making it easy to plan a tapas spread based on what you have available. Some specialty ingredients are called for, but Casas is practical about alternatives. The revised edition includes color photographs that the original lacked. This is a book for someone who wants depth and breadth in their tapas repertoire, not just a handful of crowd-pleasers.