6 child-friendly Spanish tapas
If you’re new to Spain, or missing Spain and fancy having a Spanish night at home, trying different Spanish dishes is a great idea. If you have kids, finding something they’ll eat without complaining can be difficult, but there are lots of child-friendly Spanish tapas you can try.
Spain is as famous for its tapas as it is for paella and sangria. Tapas are hot or cold snacks that started as a ‘cover’ to keep flies off a drink. A slice of bread or ham was placed over the glass and this evolved into the tapas that is popular across Spain now. Some areas of Spain offer a free tapas with a drink, but the best way to try lots of different tapas is to head to a tapas bar and sample several dishes from the menu. Some of the best Spanish food for kids can be found on the tapas menu as they are usually small and simply dishes.
If you’re going to do this with kids in tow, or going make your own Spanish tapas at home, there are lots of Spanish tapas for kids to choose from.
Here are 6 child-friendly Spanish tapas dishes that kids will love (complete with the Spanish names and pictures so you know what to look out for on the menu)…
Tortilla Española or Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish omelette)
If your kids like omelette or scrambled egg, they’re bound to like Spanish omelette or Tortilla Española. A very popular dish that can be found on every menu, a Spanish Omelette is a thick omelette made with chunks of potato and onion.
Albondigas (Meatballs)
Another popular Spanish tapas your kids will love is Albondigas or meatballs. These meatballs are usually made from minced beef and pork and are served in a tomato sauce. The sauce isn’t spicy so is perfect for kids to try.
Jamón y Queso (ham & cheese)
Most tapas bars will have a plate of ham and cheese on their tapas menu. The ham is usually either Serrano ham or Iberico ham and the cheese is usually Manchego which has a fairly strong taste. You will often also get bread and almonds served on the plate.
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Croquetas (Croquettes)
Another great Spanish tapas idea for kids is Croquetas. Made from fried mashed potato or sometimes fried Béchamel sauce, croquetas are very popular on tapas menus and a little bit like nuggets. In Spain these croquettes often also have small pieces of ham inside (Croquetas de jamón) and are absolutely delicious.
Pan con tomate or Tostada con tomate
A simple snack for children in Spain, often eaten at breakfast, is tostada. Similar to the Italian bruschetta but you often get the chopped tomatoes in a separate bowl so that you can put it onto the bread yourself making it a great child-friendly Spanish tapas. Sometimes you can have it with Serrano ham too and it’s like a French bread pizza but even better! There’s no butter but the Spanish way is to drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bread before you add the tomato.
Patatas Bravas
This dish is simply fried potatoes chopped into small chunks with a tomato sauce drizzled on. Sometimes the sauce is spicy (it will usually say on the menu, so look out for the word ‘picante’) but a lot of the time it’s a very mild sauce and just like homemade ketchup. If your children like chips, then they are sure to love this popular Spanish tapas dish.
We hope this list of Spanish tapas ideas for kids has given you some ideas of what to try if you are on a family holiday in Spain! If you really can’t find much on the menu that the kids will eat then you can’t go wrong with a plate of chips followed by churros con chocolate while the adults sample lots of different Spanish tapas!
If this list has made you hungry, what tapas are you looking forward to trying? Have you got any favourites?
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