From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtapastap‧as /ˈtæpəs $ ˈtɑː-/ noun [uncountable] DFsmall dishes of food eaten as part of the first course of a Spanish meal
Examples from the Corpus
tapas• At midday or early evening, tapas and La Ina is a wonderful combination for pairs or parties.• Serve warm, cut into neat squares for tapas, or quarters if it is to be the centrepiece of the meal.• Food without frontiers is the norm now with quiche, tacos or tapas and coronation chicken readily supplied by outside caterers.• To stave off the pangs and cool the tongue, tapas are eaten and La Ina is drunk.Origin tapas (1900-2000) Spanish plural of tapa “cover, lid” 