Spanish food doesn't tend to be spicy, so you shouldn't worry about that. Even the one in ten Padrón peppers that are spicy aren't that hot.
17 more days for me, but I will start in Pamplona.
This was also my favorite Camino meal!huevos y papas fritas
Surprised that I found this to be a favorite menu de dia choice for me.
I would not have normally choose that for a meal other than the camino.
This can't be said enough!
It is the prepared frozen dish served at way too many places in Spain, advertised at the entrance of the restaurant with nifty photos, similar from place to place, with other dishes being offered but not at all authentic in the least. If you haven't been duped, then you are duped.
Only phony in the sense that the paella is all premade, and not "authentic" paella freshly cooked at the restaurant. The vegetable paella can be a good choice for vegetarians and vegans though. According to this article by @Wendy Werneth it has no animal products in it.
I would recommend to any pescatarian to do the Norte the next chance you get. You will be by the sea and have plenty of fresh seafood to choose from. Lots of ups and downs, lots of wonderful scenery and lots of fun even (for me anyway) as I would curse a long uphill only to get to the top and find another one waiting. But all worth it.
If my memory serves me correctly the Portuguese people is even more in love with papas fritas than even the Spaniards.
We don't eat papas fritas, but we do love batatas fritas
You know what? Whatever you call it I love Portugal and I think the people are the warmest, friendliest and generous people of all the countries I have visited. I have visited alot of countries.We don't eat papas fritas, but we do love batatas fritas
I'am a chef but I said to myself before I left, don't be a food critic on this trip. Some meals were so so and some were better than expected. I sort of enjoyed each day to see what would be available for me to eat. With a beer or glass of wine and fellow pilgrims it always tasted good.
Oh come on, they aren't THAT bad (although healthy they usually are not) and there's usually at least ice cream for postre choice although I get a piece of fruit if that's on offer instead.I've always translated that as the Menu del Dia is what the day deserves; and the Menu Peregrino is especially designed to take the Pilgrim to the next level of penitence....
An average 34 days of Menu Peregrino between Roncesvalles and Santiago and the average Pilgrim has indeed already done Purgatory
I’m willing to agree that the average MP isn’t “THAT” bad- though to achieve an average we have to agree that some are simply disgusting. That said I am simply not prepared to walk through a country which, with the possible exceptions of Greece and Sicily, has the most complex and embrasive cuisines in Europe and eat two simple and one complex carbohydrates supplemented with a thin sheet of Lomo or the thigh of a Pollo beaten to translucence and then fried until it would serve for emergency shoe repair. Oh, sorry, I forgot the sliver of picked red pepper that may, possibly, contain an elemental trace of a vitamin. Ensalada Mixta? Well, at least you are taking on some fluid and a bit of fibre.
Rant over, unless I accidentally kick off again but: the OP, our good friend @MARSKA is about to walk through the Pays Basques, Navarra, Rioja, Leon, Bierzo, Galicia and we are offering her tired reflections of Pizza Shed, McRonalds and “all you wish you hadn’t eaten, €10”.
The difference being--the Menu del Dia is what the locals like, and eat for an inexpensive main meal. It seems the MP is what they think foreign visitors on a low budget will prefer.Yup, that’s what I said. The Menu del Dia will take you into a deep dive into an amazing cuisine (without a deep dive into your wallet). The MP will leave you safe, secure and disappointed
I did not need to do this (I speak Spanish) but you CAN use Google translate to help you with menus. If you have an android phone it is even easier but I only know what to do with an iPhone. Take a picture of the menu. Go to Google translate and click on images and then upload file and choose your photo from your camera library. Sometimes there will be a really strange “Google translate fail” but it usually works well enough. Also you can put the app Word Reference on your phone and look up individual words as needed. ¡Buen Camino!
Make sure to download the Spanish language pack on Google Translate so that you can also use it offline.
I am certainly not impugning the quality of the paella pictured (and I would call it a paella) but the Valencian purists I know who toss around phrases like "real paella" and "arroz con cosas" would consider any rice dish with mariscos to be arroz con cosas.I definitely had a good paella at Albergue La Morena in Lédigos along the Camino Francés (after Carrión de los Condes). It was a real paella and not just an “arroz con cosas,” and was done al dente as it should be.
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I definitely had a good paella at Albergue La Morena in Lédigos along the Camino Francés (after Carrión de los Condes). It was a real paella and not just an “arroz con cosas,” and was done al dente as it should be.
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I was in Atapuerca a couple days ago and desperately wanted to eat at Comosapiens, but someone who had tagged onto our group said it was too expensive. We tried to go back, but they were closing. I was so sad eating awful pizza in another establishment.
I really wanted to eat there on my first Camino in 2016, but couldn't find anyone to join me. If it were now I'd just go alone.I was in Atapuerca a couple days ago and desperately wanted to eat at Comosapiens, but someone who had tagged onto our group said it was too expensive. We tried to go back, but they were closing. I was so sad eating awful pizza in another establishment.
Now I’m even more sad…
I think we all realized too late that one person probably shouldn’t be able to veto what 3 other people want to do. I guess that’s a camino lesson? Missing out on an experience you want because you’re a lifetime people-pleaser?
Second one seems a little better, but those signs would mostly induce me to walk on by -- but in case of need, sure, the chicken lunch in the second example could be fine, though whether the vino is a copa or a jarra would be make or break, particularly in the event of a nearby supermercado.
I had it once last year from no other choice.
There are still a few places that sell a pilgrim menu that's pretty much the menú del día plus some arbitrary quantity in Euros, or smaller amount of food etc, though thankfully they're tending towards going away.
That's really not bad for Galicia, but those sorts of "short" menus still left me longing for Portugal or Castilia.
Sorry, but that sort of thing makes me *directly* ill -- not a comment about quality or anything, I'm sure the food is lovely (and I've cooked similar for vegans myself, minus any fake meat and so on), but I'm afraid it just isn't good for non-vegans indiscriminately.
My Spanish is quite functional, but menus have a language of their own and always give me difficulty. Think of English menus that use various terms to add verbal zest to the choices, and there are regional differences in names for foods. At least I am able to ask what a menu item really means - I don't always understand the answer, but can get some clues!
It really is not too expensive—it is more than a menú del día but and the food is marvelous. it was 20€ for their menú. It will have to be a reason to go back and do another Camino.I was in Atapuerca a couple days ago and desperately wanted to eat at Comosapiens, but someone who had tagged onto our group said it was too expensive. We tried to go back, but they were closing. I was so sad eating awful pizza in another establishment.
Now I’m even more sad…
Thanks @Tincatinker
I know the feeling about missing out on a special restaurant and eating awful pizza instead, that happened to me a bit later on my journey.
It was 35€ this past weekend - but still looked like it would’ve been well worth it! We walked through cold wind and rain and the thought of hot tomato basil soup was so inviting! And I agree, not too much - though I understand some pilgrims have a far tighter budget than others. I know I’m quite fortunate in that regard.It really is not too expensive—it is more than a menú del día but and the food is marvelous. it was 20€ for their menú. It will have to be a reason to go back and do another Camino.
Hi
Can't eat that stuff either.It really is not too expensive—it is more than a menú del día but and the food is marvelous. it was 20€ for their menú. It will have to be a reason to go back and do another Camino.
Also...¿Dónde está el lugar más barato para comer?
That would be CMOT (Cut Me Own Throat) Dibbler, so called because he says his prices are so low he is "cutting his own throat". I happen to have the tee shirt.
Wow that's a lot of learning of Spanish! Well done you! Thank you for your question as it's very good to get a feel for these things before we hit the ground. I tend to be a picky eater and may be challenged (positively) along the Way. I've been learning through Duolingo and surprised at what I can read already.
Judging from the (small-ish) photo, not a Paella. The pan is to deep, the moisture content to high. Looks to me like what they called "Arroz Meloso con Bogavante" in Fisterra, not sure if thats a universal term or if they call it something else elsewhere.
Paella is defined by recipe, not volume.
I was saying the foto was small, hence difficult to tell exactly. And while it should be true that it is defined by recipe, it will most definitely not be a paella if it is made in a large batch and served in portions. (There will be occasions where you buy a "racion de paella" but if you order a "paella" you should get a dish that has been cooked in the pan in which it is served)
Nope. Not so. Never. For a start Paella is indeed the name of the cooking vessel not the dish. Even in Valencia the dish is cooked in huge paella and served in portions. A table of 10 might get the pan plonked in front of them and then be left to fend for themselves. A table of two will get portions on a plate. In the rougher and readier places you might just get the plate. You walk up to the fire and nod. And nod again when your wrist starts feeling the strain.
This I most certainly do not agree with.
Most paellas are frozen bags with a few shrimp etc. thrown on top to look good.It was a disappointment to learn that, so I don't order them any more, at least as pilgrim fare.
O ly 1 week to go! Spanish food is not Mexican food. The Spanish think of papas bravas as spicy, in my estimation it is about as mild as fry sauce! Depending on where you start, paella will be common or pulpo. I try as often as possible to eat as a communal meal. Cheap eats but nice to meet other pilgrims, especially over a couple of bottles of “new” wine.
www.chilipeppermadness.com
Perhaps we should move on to less controversial topics? Such as whether tortilla should contain onions or not....
I will always wondering if the paella on the Caminos in Spain are ever fully authentic, made from scratch.
Which Camino ?I will always wondering if the paella on the Caminos in Spain are ever fully authentic, made from scratch.
Basic paella is method + rice + olive oil + typical (vegetable) spices + other ingredients.
Con cebolla es la ley!Perhaps we should move on to less controversial topics? Such as whether tortilla should contain onions or not....
