BARCELONA FRUIT TAPAS

Ah, Barcelona! (Or Barchinona, Barchelona, or Barchenona as it was variously known throughout the Middle Ages.) City of flamenco, grand sweeping boulevards, the mind-altering architecture of Antonio Gaudi and untold thousands of tapas bars. Ok, maybe not untold thousands, but certainly untold hundreds maybe a thousand. In Barcelona, pronounced Bar-th-elona by the locals, tapas, a mid-afternoon snack comprised of a great multitude of delectable morsels, served up on a series of individual plates, can be enjoyed on virtually every street corner. Ordering tapas involves selecting from a number of bite-sized delicacies ranging from beans to olives to calamari. Que delicioso!

The word tapas loosely translates as cover or lid. Still, no one is entirely certain how this most famous of Spanish meals came into existence. Some believe it was developed by nefarious 16th century tavern keepers who began serving strong cheeses to cover the flavour of wine that had gone bad. Others think the trend started when tavern guests began covering their wineglasses with dishes and cards to prevent fruit flies. They believe savvy barkeepers began putting snacks on top of the makeshift lids. Still others maintain tapas was developed by direct order of King Alfonso X of Castile, otherwise known as Alfonso the Wise, who issued a decree that all taverns had to serve food with alcohol. But then, who knows?

In the spirit of the culinary medley that is tapas, we've developed a medley of our own. This fabulous herbal blend delivers the goodness of rooibos amidst a cacophony of herbs and fruits rivaled only by the bustling tavernas of the city from which gets its name. Here's to Barcelona!