Body By Heaven

The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover", a cognate of the English top.[1]

In pre-19th-century Spain tapas were served by posadas, albergues or bodegas, offering meals and rooms for travellers. Since few innkeepers could write and few travellers read, inns offered their guests a sample of the dishes available, on a "tapa" (the word for pot cover in Spanish).