Patatas Bravas

Patatas bravas are fried potato cubes under a smoky, lightly spicy brava sauce. They are one of Spain's most popular tapas and the one many bars are quietly judged on — the potato has to stay crisp under the sauce.

What it actually is

Potatoes are cut into rough cubes and fried until the outside is crisp and the inside stays soft. Over them goes salsa brava, and there are two main schools of it. The traditional Madrid sauce is usually made without tomato: hot and sweet pimentón, olive oil, onion, often a spoonful of wheat flour and stock to thicken it. Elsewhere, and in many bars today, the sauce is built on tomato, pimentón (smoked paprika), garlic, a little chilli and a splash of vinegar — the version pictured here.

Brava means "fierce", but the heat is gentle by international standards — it is warmth and smoke rather than real fire.

How it's served

• In Madrid — traditionally the brava sauce alone, no alioli.
• In Barcelona and much of Catalonia — with both brava sauce and garlic alioli.
• Shared from one plate, with toothpicks or small forks, as a starter or with drinks.

Writing it on a menu

• Say which sauces arrive on the plate: brava only, or brava and alioli.
• Declare egg when the alioli is mayonnaise-style; a traditional allioli of only garlic and olive oil contains none.
• Declare wheat when the brava sauce is thickened with flour.
• Vegetarian and vegan depend on the sauce: some traditional brava sauces use ham or meat stock. Without those, and with egg-free allioli, the dish can be vegan.
• Give an honest sense of the heat level — guests from outside Spain often expect much hotter.