Pack up a picnic of Spanish tapas to feed a crowd

Snibbles, we call them in our house. Snacks and nibbles combined.

Tapas, they call them in Spain. Small bites of satisfying flavors to enjoy with a beverage of choice. Sparkling lemonade for the young ones; beer, spiked wine and cocktails for the rest of us.

I enjoy having tapas in place of a traditional meat-and-veg meal anytime. Perhaps it's the relaxed way everyone hangs around the table, lingering over food and drink. Perhaps it's the conversation that gets livelier the deeper we get into the beer and wine stash. Perhaps it's the fact that most small-plate snacks can be made in advance, so the cook relaxes.

Dining with friends at Las Golondrinas, in Seville's Triana quarter, we nearly inhale small plates of the most stunning seasonal vegetables, along with local fish tapas, platters of artisanal cheeses and a variety of Spanish hams. The warm evening sparks an idea: Tapas make perfect picnic fare. They epitomize outdoor summer goodness.

I first enjoyed one of Spain's most iconic tapas dishes, tortilla espanola, a rich potato omelet, a decade ago when seated at the counter at Cal Pep, a favorite tapas bars in Barcelona. This spring, we happily stood in a queue for the small restaurant to refresh our memories.

First, we studied Cal Pep's method for another Spanish classic,