Page 119 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2023 LISBON EDITION

ometime in the 13th century, Listo!) The tapas tradition was born.
King Alfonso X of Castile got Except probably not.
sick. His doctor’s prescrip- The Alfonso story is just one of
S tion? Drink lots of wine. But many apocryphal, mythic, exaggerated
Alfonso wasn’t known as “The Wise” tales of the birth of Spain’s most fa-
for nothing. He realized that lots of mous food. Including one where an-
wine was a problem, too. So he ate cient bar keepers put small pieces of
small portions of food to diminish the bread and/or ham atop wine glasses to
effects of alcohol. protect the drinks from the grit-filled
Voila! (Or, as the Spanish would say, winds of Andalucia.

ILLUSTRATION BY RON JAMES

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