Culinary Programs

Turn your love of food into a career

Culinary Program
Culinary Arts
Find culinary inspiration and helpful career information on topics such as cooking with chocolate, French and Greek cuisine, the life of a Chef, and what to expect in culinary school.
Baking and Pastry
Does your sweet tooth lead you straight to your oven? Read how to avoid the pitfalls of cheese cake, bake creative cookies, use fresh fruits in baking, and more.
Catering and Restaurant Management
If you've ever prepared a Thanksgiving dinner, you know that cooking for a group takes planning and skill. Learn more about the art of catering and restaurant management, including specialized catering such as chocolates or high tea and how to prepare for a restaurant career.
Culinary Schools in the United States
With culinary schools in all 50 states and additional culinary education available online, you don't need to relocate unless you want to. Each state has its own special mixture of culture, cuisine, and locally grown agriculture that inspires the chefs and students who work and live there. If you're passionate about Maine lobster dishes, California cuisine, or any dish or state in between, you'll find a culinary school that is where you are or where you'd like to be.
Search Your School

Home | Culinary | Culinary Arts | Tapas: Bite-Sized Cuisine Holds Big Taste

Tapas: Bite-Sized Cuisine Holds Big Taste

By Marianne Salina

Eating out can present serious quandaries: Mexican or French cuisine? Seafood or grilled steak? In the world of tapas, however, the fusion of a wide variety of food makes eating out decisions easier. Each recipe ties in deep flavors, sweet and tangy spices, and ingredients pulled from every culinary corner. For such little bites, tapas are a big reason to find your way to cooking school.

Traditional Spanish tapas began as tasty little bites of nuts, olives, and meats nibbled in between meals to provide sustenance throughout the length of the day. With a little wine or gazpacho, tapas were the perfect cuisine to keep one energized until dinner. It was like a power bar of sorts until the main culinary event. Since today's cooking encourages the fusion of flavors from around the world and the blending of cultural traditions in the kitchen, tapas bars can be found in greater metropolitan locales across the country.

Cooking School for Tapas

People are drawn to the tapas experience because tapas behave as appetizers, allowing for diners to order several dishes at a time to enjoy a recipe of every variety. Accompanied by a well-selected wine, tapas cuisine bursts with rich flavor from the assortment of meats, fish, sauces, and spices. While they're easy to devour, tapas are a carefully crafted food that call upon the proper training and cultural guidance offered in cooking school. Formal culinary education provides a few cooking fundamentals that will enable you to uncover the secrets of a tapas recipe:

  • Explore the history and tradition of Spanish tapas
  • Learn how to blend foods together with proper balance
  • Understand spices, selection of meats and produce, and preparation
  • Know how to create fusion recipes that introduce complementary flavors from other cuisines

Delight Your Guests

Eating tapas is a social event you'll want to provide over and over again. With the recipes and skills from cooking school, you will have all you need to wine and dine your friends and family in traditional tapas fashion. Offering a savory bite packed with fresh, vibrant flavor is one of the most memorable culinary moments you can offer your loved ones.

Sources

The History of Tapas

On the Menu Glossary

NPR: Chef's Secret Ingredients

About the Author
Marianne Salina is a freelance writer in Spokane, Washington. She writes about pursuits in education and degree opportunities.