Origins of Tapas

El Sabio - the wise one

The man behind Spanish Tapas

The legend has it that King Alfonso X of Castile and Leon is the inventor of tapas. He was known as The Wise One (El Sabio) and it is from him that our restaurant takes its name.

King Alfonso was born in Toledo in 1221 and crowned King of Castile & Leon in 1252. He was a hugely important figure in the growing knowledge and scholarship that ended the dark ages of Western Europe and paved the way for the Renaissance and Rosicrucianism.

He was a scholar, writer and composer and his music is performed to this day. He translated Arab texts into Latin and much of the knowledge of Maths and Astronomy was thus made accessible to Western countries. This is how he got his name of El Sabio - The Wise One.

Tapas means 'cover' in Spanish and the story goes that once, when on his way across Spain to fight the Moors, Alfonso rested at an inn near Cadiz where he asked for sherry.

The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The king, after drinking his wine and eating the tapa, ordered another sherry "with the same cover".

For more information about Alfonso X and his connection to Tapas click here.