Patatas Bravas

Patatas bravas are fried potato cubes under a smoky, lightly spicy tomato-and-paprika sauce. It is the most ordered tapa in Spain and the one every bar is 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: a warm sauce built on tomato, pimentón (smoked paprika), garlic, a little chilli and a splash of vinegar.

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 mayonnaise.
• 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.
• Give an honest sense of the heat level — guests from outside Spain often expect much hotter.
• It is vegetarian, and vegan without the alioli (which usually contains egg). Note if your sauce is thickened with flour.