Choosing your tasting
| Option | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Guided tapas tour | First visit, wants explanations | Book ahead, fixed times, ham often included |
| Covered market (San Miguel, San Antón) | Grazing freely | Prices per portion on display, very busy |
| Traditional bar in the centre | A tapas dinner | Ask for the ham list |
| Charcuterie shop | Taking ham home | Vacuum-packed, labelled, packed for travel |
Reading the ham label
Iberian bellota ham is the top of the range; "cebo" comes from animals fed on grain. A hand-sliced portion is eaten in a few minutes: ask for the "cortador" if the bar uses one. Good ham shows a rosy colour and glossy fat. To compare markets, see San Miguel or San Antón and Madrid's markets.
Guided tour or on your own?
A guided tour strings several bars together in a few hours with no searching. To eat on your own, the list of tapas in Madrid gives classic addresses, and wine and tapas: which offer compares the formulas. Cooking classes are in food tours and cooking classes. A guided tapas crawl is a good choice for a first evening.
