Ham Croquettes

These are one of the most popular tapas in Spanish cuisine, although they actually originated in France. Emilia Pardo Bazán wrote in "The Old Spanish Kitchen" that "the French version is huge, hard, and graceless. Here, on the other hand, they are well made. The croquettes are so soft and smooth that they melt in your mouth." References to this little morsel of béchamel with minced ham fried in breadcrumbs were first recorded during the reign of Louis XIV, although it was apparently Antonin Carême who gave it its crunchy coating, in 1817. Nowadays, there are dozens of versions with different fillings.