Antojitos and Bar Food from the Americas
There is some duplicity between bar food in North America and antojitos in Central and South America. That's because of the New World ingredients they have in common. Corn tortilla chips and peanuts are the snacking icons of cantinas and taverns alike.
Antojitos from Mexico
The influence of Aztec, Spanish, and Caribbean cuisine combine to make Mexican cuisine. Spanish conquistadores brought rice, meat, garlic, and onions to the New World, which were mixed with ingredients indigenous to the Americas, such as corn, tomatoes and chili peppers, and fish and tropical fruits of the Caribbean, which evolved into a unique hybrid cuisine that is Mexico's pride.
Bar Food from the United States
The tradition of serving food with drinks in public taverns, saloons, and hotel bars is a long-standing one in the United States. Every time you see a bowl of mixed nuts at a bar remember that, and the tapas connection as well. Colonial taverns served as roadhouses to nourish travelers who would stop for refreshments in the form of ale and some kind of hearty fare to fortify them.
The tradition of bar food evolved in the United States, borrowing from the Irish and English public houses. British “pubs” serve such fare as bangers and mash, pickled sausages, bubble and squeak, scotch eggs, and shepherd's pie to go with a few pints of Guinness or Bass Ale. The American “happy hour” seems to be a descendant of the Spanish tapas tradition too, with drink specials and some food available “on the house.” Salty snacks, such as pretzels and nuts, are often served with an ulterior motive, to encourage more drink sales as the patrons get thirsty from the salt. American saloon keepers in the 1800s would offer a so-called free lunch to patrons if they would buy one drink, betting that they would buy more than one. From drinking houses in New Orleans to the bars of the fancy hotels along the “cocktail route” in San Francisco, this “free” lunch, similar to the original concept of tapas in Spain, was served daily to drinking patrons. It was not an offering of small plates though; in fact it was often a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet, with oyster stew, carved meats, potatoes, bread, and butter.
The “free lunch” was outlawed in New York in 1896 under the umbrella of the Raines Law. This law was passed under pressure from the temperance movement, which claimed the “free lunch” encouraged drinking alcohol. The law was amended shortly after in 1897 to allow the “free lunch” to return.
