I’m one of those people that can’t really manage a large meal in one sitting, but can happily eat small meals all day long (I tend to ‘graze”), so I always love products that promote that kind of eating. Like tapas. I LOVE the idea of tapas.

So I was pretty excited when Espuña Canada contacted me to see if I was interested in trying their new Tapas Essentials products.

The term ‘tapas’ originated in Spain meaning ‘cover’ or ‘lid’ which took the form of a slice of meat or bread to cover your wine glass to keep it free of dust from the original dirt roads. Today, the term tapas refers to an appetizer or light meal, often enjoyed with drinks.

Espuña started back in 1947, when Esteve Espuña began producing sausages using traditional recipes in his farmhouse near Olot, Spain. Espuña Tapas Essentials have recently launched in Canada with a full line of products to help make tapas time super easy. The products are split into 2 categories:
1. Ready to Serve – products are dry-cured and ready to serve
2. Heat and Serve – products are pre-cooked and need to be heated in the microwave for 1 minute before serving

All the products that Espuña sent me were in the Ready to Serve category so I took the opportunity to put together a charcuterie plate to enjoy the products.

On the plate:
– Original Olot Salami
– Chorizo Salami
– Barcelona Style Salami
– Chorizo Cañitas
– Spanish Serrano Ham

My favourite was definitely the Serrano Ham (which is similar to prosciutto, one of my favourite things ever) but the ham wasn’t as salty as the prosciutto I usually get, which meant I could eat WAY more of it.

I also really enjoyed the Olot Salami and the Chorizo Salami – both were chewy, but not tough, and loaded with flavour (the Chorizo even had a nice, spicy kick to it). I didn’t use the entire salami for the platter, so afterwards, I cut up the rest of the salamis, popped them into a container and snacked to my heart’s content.

Paul grabbed most of the Cañitas – he loves pepperettes and these handy little sausages make a nice snack. They’re a little softer and more smoky than the usual ones you get at the grocery store, which caught us off guard, but ended up being a nice surprise.

All in all, we really enjoyed getting the sample Espuña’s new products and I’d definitely have a couple of those salamis handy for when people come over (and the Serrano Ham for myself, of course)

You can learn more about Espuña Canada on their website or follow them on Twitter (@espunacanada)