The culture of sharing little bites is everywhere in the world: the French pass around hors d’oeuvres, Italians have antipasto, and Chinese families love dim sum. In Spain, they’re known as tapas, a selection of cold or hot dishes often eaten as a snack but could be combined into a meal. While travelling in Barcelona, they were a wonderful pick-me-up after hours of sightseeing to refill on nutrients and cool down with beer or sangria.

Sometimes tapas are purchased, but the simpler versions are offered on a complimentary basis with drinks. In fact, the practice began when bread or meat slices were given out to patrons at taverns to cover their glasses and keep out the blowing sand from dirt roads. The meats also tend to be saltier to encourage drinking and higher alcohol sales.  

This year, Espuña Tapas Essentials is crossing the ocean and entering the Canadian market. Currently found in Longo’s Market stores, they offer a variety of 18 sliced meats and heat-and-serve products. As an introduction I received a selection of products to try and invited friends over to sample them over wine – luckily my home wasn’t overly dusty as there’s no way these meats would cover the large wine glasses we use nowadays.

Directly translated as “mountain” ham, the Serrano ham used to be cured in sheds in high altitudes. Delicious on its own, I also enjoyed the ham on toasted bread brushed with olive oil with lightly aged white cheddar. The heat of the bread starts to warm through the cheese and softens the thin layers of fat on the Serrano ham to give the tapa a creamy feel.

If you like your charcuterie fattier (especially when pairing with beer), Espuña has a whole line of salamis. The Barcelona style (on the left in the picture below) is less blubbery and seasoned longer to really allow the salt and pepper to permeate the meat. The longer curing period also makes the pork dryer and a tad gamier than your typical salami.

Meanwhile, the original Olat salami (in the middle in the picture above) originates from the founder’s region, in the North Eastern part of Spain. Larger chunks of fatty pork is stuffed into a thin casing and seasoned again. A little greasy for my tastes, but was the salami my husband happily inhaled.

If you’re in the mood for a real salty snack, the chorizo cañitas takes pepperettes to the next level. Like its name, the cañita is thin and long like a “drinking straw”; Espuña even suggests you serve them standing up in a glass with breadsticks.

For me, since the soft pork was so well-seasoned with salt and paprika, I found the cañitas were best consumed in small pieces tucked into a soft piece of bread. Use them for a quick omelette: dice one cañita into small pieces, mix into two beaten eggs, and cook! You don’t even need to add any salt and pepper, making it one of the quickest breakfasts I’ve ever made.

The heat and serve line is ingenious for making tapas that could transform into a hearty meal. After removing from the packaging and a quick minute in the microwave, I was presented with juicy aromatic meat skewers with chopped fine herbs and a sweet and salty bacon wrapped dates. These are great for dinner parties, especially since they can be prepared in small batches to provide guests with a hot treat. 

When Esteve Espuña first started making sausages in a farmhouse near Olot, little did he know that his creations would eventually be eaten worldwide. Thanks to his family member’s working to expand the brand, I’ve received a taste of Spain in Canada. Mix with fresh bread, a selection of cheeses and grilled vegetables, their creations really allowed for a satisfying spread with friends. 

If you’re a grazer and fancy eating small portions of food while drinking, Kintori Yakitori is an idyllic dining experience. Think of the restaurant as the Bar Raval of the Japanese scene – order a few items (most dishes are sold in single units), chat whilst enjoying a drink, then order some more. Repeat until you’re full and satisfied.

As Kintori’s name would imply, yakitori is what their known for – in the strictest sense, skewered grilled chicken products. In reality, the restaurant’s menu encompasses many other proteins and vegetarian ingredients as well.

The gyu-tongue kushi ($3.80) was fantastic, a thin slice of flavorful tender beef with a slight springy bite. The dish offers such a rich flavour in a delicate way.

We tried two meat and onion options. The grilled spring onions interlaced with the chicken thigh in the negima ($1.80) provides a slightly sweet and fresh contrast. While the scallion sauce covering the beef ($3.20; negi shio gyu) was much stronger – if you enjoy the ginger and onion oil that accompanies Chinese boiled chicken, this is very similar.

The chicken wing ($1.80; tebasaki) was delicious, especially in the winter when the craving for BBQ starts to creep in. Of all the meats, this had the most prominent hint of smokiness, the end product of cooking the yakitori over Binchotan charcoal that Kintori imports from Japan.

Although chicken meatballs ($1.80; tsukune) sound rather plain, the meat mixture was nicely seasoned and when combined with the caramelized glaze quite tasty.

Kintori provided me with my first experience with numerous chicken innards ($1.80 each). Despite the scary veiny looking exterior, the chicken heart (hatsu) was the best of the bunch and reminded me of a tougher gamier squab.

The chicken gizzard (zuri) is what I like to think of as the bubble gum of the offal world; it’s good if you can stand the bouncy texture. Despite having a delicious sweet and salty tare glaze on top, I regrettably couldn’t stomach the chicken liver (reba) – it’s quick change in texture becoming almost powdery and foamy is so different from the whipped mousse normally eaten.

At times, Kintori also offers kushikatsu or skewered deep fried delights on a specials menu.  The quail eggs ($2; uzura kushi age) and the bacon wrapped asparagus ($2.50) are heavier than the grilled options but has such a satisfying crunch from the panko crust. They went particularly well with beer, the malty bitterness of the Asahi black ($8) a nice combination with the grease.

An order of the house made pickles ($3.80; oshinko moriwase) is a good idea, the lightly marinated burdock root, cucumbers and napa cabbage works to clean the palette. If you can stand the saltiness, the nikumiso kyabetsu ($3.80) could also work, the cabbage “salad” accompanied with a strong miso pork sauce for dipping.

Should you need something more substantial, Kintori also offers noodle dishes including the ramen from Kinton downstairs. To keep with the grazing theme, we had the yakionigiri ($3), a grilled sticky rice ball with a smidge of preserved plum in the center providing a salty sour kick. I thoroughly enjoyed the crunchy smoky exterior, which reminded me of the crust that forms at the bottom of hot pot rice.

For a savoury end, the delicate dashi maki ($5.30 for 6 pieces) is nice, the egg’s texture light and moist. Meanwhile, if it’s sweetness you crave, the nouji cha crème brulee ($5) was also enjoyable. The roasted green tea taste was quite pronounced … I could see the matcha remnants on the bottom of the ramekin.

With all the options, it may be difficult to decide what to order. Kintori has an omakase ($17.80) menu where they’ll serve you a selection of what’s fresh and delicious. Considering Chef Hiroki Takai has been specializing in yakitori since he was 18, I’d say the restaurant knows a thing or two about what to try.