Tapas in Spain

Presenter Adrienne Chaballe sets off across Spain in search of what each region puts on the bar — and what it reveals about the place it comes from. From the cider houses of the north to sun-baked southern taverns, from bustling city markets to centuries-old wineries, the series traces a country through its food.

The tapa, in this context, is never just a snack. It carries history. Recipes preserved in modest kitchens for generations sit alongside the reinventions of contemporary chefs. Ancient taverns endure next to neighbourhood bars that have barely changed in a century. Each stop offers something specific to that city, that street, that culture.

Chaballe brings an outsider's curiosity and genuine appetite to the journey. As a Belgian presenter exploring Spanish gastronomy, her perspective is that of an enthusiastic traveller rather than a local, which keeps the tone warm and accessible without losing substance.

Shot across 2024 to 2026 for RTVE, the series moves with the unhurried confidence of a country that knows its culinary traditions run deep. Going for tapas in Spain is a social act, a ritual, a pleasure. This programme treats it as exactly that.