Now Playing: What is tapatista?
We spoke to three people who’ve experienced it and got their take on the different styles of tapas.
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Now Watch: 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas Now Playing”Tapas are a lot of fun and a lot different from traditional Mexican cooking,” says Tino Bocanegra, a professor at the University of California, Davis, and author of Tapas for Beginners: The Art of Mexican Cooking.
“You can actually mix a lot more ingredients into tapas than you can in traditional cooking, so you get a lot less of the traditional flavor.”
Bocanegre says the process of making tapas is a mix of traditional and contemporary techniques.
But while traditional Mexican tapas can be made in one or two hours, modern versions can take longer.
In modern tapas, ingredients like garlic, chile powder, salt, and a vinegar-based sauce are blended with a thick paste to make a rich, savory broth.
“The more you add in all these things, the more you can create a different flavor,” Bocainegra says.
And while traditional tapas often have a strong emphasis on the meat, modern tapatistas usually include a wide variety of vegetables, from squash and cabbage to carrots and potatoes.
“Tapatistas are more conscious of their ingredients,” Boccanesque says.
“They have to think of what their ingredients are going to do for them.
They can add spices and other things, but the main ingredients are what you want.”
Boccanesques tapas also come in many flavors and styles.
Bocanesque offers his favorites: beef, pork, lamb, seafood, pork and lamb sausage.
You can also order his signature chili-and-green chili, which is a traditional chili with onions and guacamole.
“They can have a lot in common with other traditional Mexican dishes,” Bockanesque explains.
“It’s really about the way they use ingredients and how you use them.”
“A good tapas menu should be a little bit about the cuisine,” Boffanesque adds.
“There should be no pretense of trying to emulate other cuisines, but really the goal is to really put your own spin on it.”