- Time of past OR future Camino
- See signature.
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
YES!! The dry bocadillo ( some worse than others )...I collected little jelly/jam/preserves packets at breakfast to spread on the sandwich...some combos were surprisingly good with the ham and cheese...apple jelly was rather tasty and dutifully prevented that awful " dry bocadillo stuck in your chest feeling" Thanks for tip on hoarding mayoSo over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.
Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.
Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.
So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.
I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.
If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.
I will betray my origin, but I always carry a tube of that wonderful elixir, Vegemite.
I thought it would be too greedy to ask for mustard too.And don't forget the packets of yellow mustard (the stuff with tumeric). Currently there is only anecdotal evidence but people swear that sucking some out of the packet will ease leg cramps in minutes. Peg was complaining about cramps and a passing hiker gave her two packets. Really, she was better in minutes.
If you don't believe it carry some anyway. I also hear it can be used as a condiment.
Packets are like sealed.I am of two minds on carrying mayonnaise. I suppose that small sealed packets might be safe, and would be desirable on a dry bocadillo. I have two past experiences in mind: carrying a small jar of mayonnaise on a long train ride (several days) which I blame for going bad and giving me a severe case of stomach upset. And on a camino several years ago eating a cheese bocadillo so dry that it broke a tooth and I decided to skip a camino walk the next year to spend all my spare cash getting needed dental work done. I suspect that mustard is safer.
You can buy those packets of mayonesa in Spain! In any supermarketI am of two minds on carrying mayonnaise. I suppose that small sealed packets might be safe, and would be desirable on a dry bocadillo. I have two past experiences in mind: carrying a small jar of mayonnaise on a long train ride (several days) which I blame for going bad and giving me a severe case of stomach upset. And on a camino several years ago eating a cheese bocadillo so dry that it broke a tooth and I decided to skip a camino walk the next year to spend all my spare cash getting needed dental work done. I suspect that mustard is safer.
Yah. Totally. When available.or just skip the dry Bocadillo and inhale some healthy food or just some what you actually like??!! lol....instead of trying to dilute the original taste with mayonnaise and their unhealthy sugar containing friends....
que aproveche
Good info. Dang. Dry bread sandwiches... life as we know it, overturned. Tell me the beer is cold, at least.Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry.
So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.
I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.
If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.
It’s cold and cheap.Good info. Dang. Dry bread sandwiches... life as we know it, overturned. Tell me the beer is cold, at least.
My right brain went into overdrive here. Unsealed jar - shelf life outside of a fridge might be a day or so. Sealed sachets - shelf life of many months, perhaps a couple of years. I think the sachets would be fine!!I am of two minds on carrying mayonnaise. I suppose that small sealed packets might be safe
Just take a little bottle of olive oil.
So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.
Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.
Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.
So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.
I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.
If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.
Fly the flag @dougfitz!I will betray my origin, but I always carry a tube of that wonderful elixir, Vegemite. Better applied on top of butter (or margarine) but still a wonderful improvement over bare bread!
Might?might
Hmmm.I will betray my origin
Much depends on the exact type of bread they use -- if it's a better type, it often doesn't really matter if it's dry.Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.
I would warn against bringing mayo into the EU from outside -- since Brexit, they've been a lot more finicky about food imports than they used to be.If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.
I never asked for ketchup, never ate a pizza on the Camino, frozen or otherwise, and steered clear of most of the paella as I'd heard it often was poured out of a bag. I had plenty of decent Peregrino meals and Menu del dias. I know little Spanish to order something different, nor want to continually pay more for more expensive meals. I was appreciative of a three course hot meal at the end of the day, and most everything was quite edible for the price.Most peregrinos seem to be content with chips, ketchup, frozen pizza, and the unspeakable Peregrino menus as long as it's cheap.
Chrissy, you're completely right, paella in northern Spain comes almost exclusively in the deep-frozen factory-made variety. You are on track but come on, be just a bit more curious! Don't be afraid to inquire: To pick up some Spanish words and to try out new things is so enriching and rarely disappointing.I never asked for ketchup, never ate a pizza on the Camino, frozen or otherwise, and steered clear of most of the paella as I'd heard it often was poured out of a bag. I had plenty of decent Peregrino meals and Menu del dias. I know little Spanish to order something different, nor want to continually pay more for more expensive meals. I was appreciative of a three course hot meal at the end of the day, and most everything was quite edible for the price.
I'm sure you are right, Pepi. If I improved my Spanish, I would have opportunity for more variety and possibly not pay too much more.Don't be afraid to inquire: To pick up some Spanish words and to try out new things is so enriching and rarely disappointing.
Mayonnaise, mustard and Vegemite won't help there. Maybe you can bring a tube of toothpaste.The only meal I struggled with was on the Primitivo. It was a meat stew that included rabbit heads with their little white teeth in tact.
Rabbit stew can be an absolute highlight along the Camino, just order it "sin cabeza y menudillos" next time, with a glass of Rioja Crianza, I'd go double distanceI'm sure you are right, Pepi. If I improved my Spanish, I would have opportunity for more variety and possibly not pay too much more.
P.S. The only meal I struggled with was on the Primitivo. It was a meat stew that included rabbit heads with their little white teeth in tact....a bit off piste and I've digressed.
Olive oil would definitely be my second choice...I love it on many things.I'm another who always orders olive oil in, or with, my boccadillo.
on a camino several years ago eating a cheese bocadillo so dry that it broke a tooth
Really. I don't know about everyone else, but I walked last summer in the early days of reopening the Camino to tourists. Most mornings I was lucky to find ANY food before 9am unless I had breakfast at the albergue I stayed at (and I can't bring myself to eat before I have been awake for an hour or more). Even after 9am, the bars that were open later in the morning, they were few and far between. And the small supermarkets stores? They never seemed to be open as I passed through a town. When I did find a bar, believe me - I was very grateful if the only thing they were serving was a dry bocadilla, chips, or frozen pizza! As for that good after 9pm food... most of the albergues I stayed in locked their doors at 10pm, nothing like eating dinner moments before going to sleep! (Rolling my eyes here). Anyhow - my point is, I was simply grateful for the food that WAS available, even if it was chips, ketchup, frozen pizza, and the unspeakable Peregrino menus. Oh... and I also found that my body was totally craving salt - so those chips were so good - as my body needed the extra sodium to help me retain the water I needed. But don't worry - I did indulge i the "finer foods" when the opportunities arose.This is the thread of the true gourmets! OMG. No wonder the food culture on the Camino is less than ambitious. Why would our Spanish hosts even try? Most peregrinos seem to be content with chips, ketchup, frozen pizza, and the unspeakable Peregrino menus as long as it's cheap.
The minority, for whom life is too short to bother with junk food, find the good stuff after 9 p.m., but with the disadvantage (is it really?) of being mostly lonely among Spanish diners.
It does work for cramps for me!And don't forget the packets of yellow mustard (the stuff with tumeric). Currently there is only anecdotal evidence but people swear that sucking some out of the packet will ease leg cramps in minutes. Peg was complaining about cramps and a passing hiker gave her two packets. Really, she was better in minutes.
If you don't believe it carry some anyway. I also hear it can be used as a condiment.
Mustard or pickle juice. ... In fact, the pickle juice preventive has become a staple among athletes who want to avoid being sidelined by cramps. ... Scientists think the foods might stimulate ion channels in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach to send signals to the central nervous system that inactivate overexcited neurons.
HotShot . This 1.7-ounce dose of cinnamon, ginger, lime juice, sweeteners, and capsaicin (the active compound in chili peppers) was developed by Dr. [Bruce] Bean and Dr. Rod MacKinnon, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry at Rockefeller University, as a remedy for cramping during rigorous exercise. It works along the same principle as mustard and pickle juice, but has longer-lasting effects.
Credit to you and @Barbara on this topic. I made a habit of asking for olive oil, when ordering a bocadillo… it was a great solution and did not require packing mayo or some other oilAnd olive oil is more common than mayonnaise and often available in the bars, so if someone doesn't want to carry extra weight, asking for olive oil on the bocadillo might work, too!
(It's not even 5am and I have to go to work in a few minutes but now I want a bocadillo with olive oil and tortilla)
You might want to try the pilgrimage to Guadelupe should Mexican food be a priority. I would suggest the little tins of pimenton for a dark and smoky spiciness, or perhaps just order pimentos de padron wherever you might go.Heck with the Mayo, I need hot sauce! Raid the local Taco Bell for the extra hot stuff afore I go. Also bring jalapeño salt. Now if I could just convince them to make enchiladas, all would be perfect!
Me too, now.I am careful around bocadillos, as I am now of an age where I want to avoid need of further dental implants.
LOL... at one time I might have agreed with this statement - however I have just spent the past 17 years living 20 minutes drive to the Mexican border. With that - the dining culture around me involves a LOT of hot sauce and hot salsa, as it does in several areas of the West/Southwestern USA. For most people around me - the addiction to the heat is real and many of my friends cannot seem to dine without adding hot sauce or hot salsa to just about everything they eat! LOL Even my taste buds have slowly changed. I used to be a firm "mild" salsa girl. I have now shifted my taste buds into a solid "medium" and am beginning to appreciate a little more "hot". I am not at the point where I carry a bottle of hot sauce everywhere I go... but I am starting to understand why others do haha.You might want to try the pilgrimage to Guadelupe should Mexican food be a priority. I would suggest the little tins of pimenton for a dark and smoky spiciness, or perhaps just order pimentos de padron wherever you might go.
I have never not seen olive oil infused with peppers.
And what about tea bags!What are you likeReminds me of friends of mine (British) bringing their own potatoes to France, cos the local ones weren’t quite right
Thanks for that post, made my day
I gotta say, the title of this post made me laugh, and i knew what it meant immediately. You must be American. We do love our mayo!So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.
Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.
Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.
So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.
I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.
If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.
I recall meeting the uncle of a Nortocarolina friend who had just retired from a time as a lifer in the US Navy, where he worked as a cook for many years (when he enlisted as an unlettered black man, he thought it would give him training for start in civilian life and stayed for 20+). We were discussing the changes he had seen over the years and he said that the most remarkable in navy messrooms were twofold-- greatly increased vegetable consumption, and an addiction to hot sauce. When he started, there was a bottle or two available, but by the time he retired, each table had a condiment caddy with a choice of a half dozen hot sauces. It's the minority kids, he told me-- while they were excellent service people, they seemed to be fuelled by hot sauce, and now everybody loves it.LOL... at one time I might have agreed with this statement - however I have just spent the past 17 years living 20 minutes drive to the Mexican border. With that - the dining culture around me involves a LOT of hot sauce and hot salsa, as it does in several areas of the West/Southwestern USA. For most people around me - the addiction to the heat is real and many of my friends cannot seem to dine without adding hot sauce or hot salsa to just about everything they eat! LOL Even my taste buds have slowly changed. I used to be a firm "mild" salsa girl. I have now shifted my taste buds into a solid "medium" and am beginning to appreciate a little more "hot". I am not at the point where I carry a bottle of hot sauce everywhere I go... but I am starting to understand why others do haha.
they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive!There seems to be some evidence that vitamin B does help with leg cramps. So Vegemite is not such a crazy idea.
What a choice - hot English mustard or Vegemite!
And what about tea bags!
I bring my own otherwise I’d have to use about 10 Spanish tea bags for a decent cup of tea!
Then I get a pile of those little milk sachets on the flight and at breakfast when everyone is drinking coffee I get boiling water and hey presto, cuppa tea
And a useless bit of information here ….us Irish come second globally for tea drinking …..Turkey beats us on that one!
My sentiments exactly! An unrefrigerated open jar of mayonnaise? Hold on... you're going for a ride! lolMy right brain went into overdrive here. Unsealed jar - shelf life outside of a fridge might be a day or so. Sealed sachets - shelf life of many months, perhaps a couple of years. I think the sachets would be fine!!
the best habit , Spanish do and I know as I worked for some time in Spain is ask for some toasted bread in a restaurant, ask for a piece of garlic, some olive oil and some sea salt.
rub the toast in with the garlic, Spread som salt in a some oil amd dip your toast in the salty oil. Delicious.
I’m looking forward to the later Spanish meal times. I feel like I’m stuck in a culture where everybody eats too early. At home, I’m often eating dinner at 10 o’clock. Now if those darn Albergues wouldn’t close so early, or throw you out so early….The minority, for whom life is too short to bother with junk food, find the good stuff after 9 p.m., but with the disadvantage (is it really?) of being mostly lonely among Spanish diners.
How about "dry sandwich with wine" without the sandwich?I prefer to "wet" my dry sandwich with wine
That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard so far! Also dipping cookies or sweetbreads into a heavy red is fantastic.I prefer to "wet" my dry sandwich with wine
I know you are being funny. I respect that. Tacos no son de espana. More like a North/Central American thing I suspect. Heck, their definition of “tortilla” is soooo different than ours. But it’s soooo good at the same time.Thank you all for killing my dream of 40 days and 40 nights of tacos. Now I don't want to go
Jeez, guys. We have tobasco in Spain, and Sriracha. And mayonnaise, and tons of olive oil (it's "aceite." If you ask for "olio" you might get margarine!)
Wait. I can order a sandwich on white bread? never knew that.Jeez, guys. We have tobasco in Spain, and Sriracha. And mayonnaise, and tons of olive oil (it's "aceite." If you ask for "olio" you might get margarine!) Bocadillos are by definition made on a loaf of bread; if it's a sandwich you want, you can order those too -- (prounced like "sang-weesh") they come on toasted "bimbo" bread, the white stuff Americans love so... and most snack places serve the basic ham & cheese (sandwich mixto) or my big favorite: Sandwich Vegetal. When done well, these boys have asparagus, lettuce, tomato, tuna, boiled egg, onion, and MAYO! I don't do bocadillos much, but when I do I get one with Tortilla Frances (a regular French omelette) and red peppers. I can also recommend lomo adobado with cheese and tomato -- a bocadillo fit for a king.
Don't settle for Pilgrim Menus or Platos Combinados -- ofthen they're made with frozen or low-quality ingredients. Go instead for the Menu del Dia, or get a Racion of the local speciality and a glass of vino. You can't go wrong with grilled sardines!
I went to a Mexican restaurant in Spain (in Santiago) once and ordered tacos. I can tell you that once was enough!Thank you all for killing my dream of 40 days and 40 nights of tacos. Now I don't want to go
I prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.I will betray my origin, but I always carry a tube of that wonderful elixir, Vegemite. Better applied on top of butter (or margarine) but still a wonderful improvement over bare bread!
Get a bottle of leg cramp pills from Walmart. If I get a cramp, put under tongue and cramps go away in 30 seconds. Been using them for many years. I have also been taking vitamin B 100 for many years, but still get occasional cramps after a long bike rideThere seems to be some evidence that vitamin B does help with leg cramps. So Vegemite is not such a crazy idea.
What a choice - hot English mustard or Vegemite!
My German neighbor saw my jar of mayonnaise and asked, "What do you do with that glop?"
Nah, that’s just another of those stories. Like the classic response to Australian border control’s question “Do you have a criminal record?” “Is it still compulsory?”I prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.
Definitely not this oneI prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.
We had prohibition during covid (I kid you not), and now there is NO marmite in the shops, as they needed the yeast from the brewers to make it. Help!I prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.
For coffee drinkers, ease back to one or two cups a day. Too much coffee was giving me leg cramps at night. I am now cramp-free after suffering for two years almost every night.ease leg cramps in minutes
I’m drinking as much beer as I can. Anyone who wants to join me in The Old Star is welcome to assist.We had prohibition during covid (I kid you not), and now there is NO marmite in the shops, as they needed the yeast from the brewers to make it. Help!
To keep me remembering my last Camino and thinking about my next one I am sipping at my homemade patxaran this evening. Lots of sloes went into it so it must be packed with vitamins. Definitely medicinal anywayI’m drinking as much beer as I can. Anyone who wants to join me in The Old Star is welcome to assist.
I’m drinking as much beer as I can. Anyone who wants to join me in The Old Star is welcome to assist.
I look forward to that stellar momentDeal!
Next time you can come over to my local. Believe it or not but it is called " Elstar"....
Brugse Zot on tap at the moment.
I totally prefer Spanish Tortilla's to our Tortillas! That said... I am not supposed to be eating bread at all, so I would give anything to find a Mexican Tortilla Bocadilla/Wrap in a bar in Spain!I know you are being funny. I respect that. Tacos no son de espana. More like a North/Central American thing I suspect. Heck, their definition of “tortilla” is soooo different than ours. But it’s soooo good at the same time.
Now it would pain me severely if “my trying to be funny” post prevented you from enjoying the experience. It’s not really a big deal. You’ll survive without tacos and mayo. And you’ll cherish the experience for the rest of your life.
I at ridiculous amounts of potato chips, drank lots of Limon Aquarius, and huevos on my last Camino. At home - I do get some salty chip cravings, but nowhere near as bad. I never drink anything with sugar in it. And I normally get sick of eggs if I have them more than once a week. But those potato chips, limon aquarius, and huevos surely helped me survive the Camino.Having just had a major surgical procedure on my esophagus and GI this past July, I plan to stay far far away from dry, crusty bread and will tote fruit if the markets are open. I've often found myself eating potato chips for salt, Fanta naranja for sugar, Tonica for leg cramps and eggs when I found them... None of which I ever eat at home!
It's all about making do with what's available in the moment and a tiny bit of planning ahead.
I like to put fruit outside in the little side pocket/mesh things.I at ridiculous amounts of potato chips, drank lots of Limon Aquarius, and huevos on my last Camino. At home - I do get some salty chip cravings, but nowhere near as bad. I never drink anything with sugar in it. And I normally get sick of eggs if I have them more than once a week. But those potato chips, limon aquarius, and huevos surely helped me survive the Camino.
This time I need to bring some sort of lightweight container to store more fresh fruit in. I accidentally crushed fresh fruit a couple times in my bag and ended up with a sticky mess.
I found I could buy those little packets in stores too.So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.
Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.
Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.
So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.
I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.
If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.
You're right. No chilli flakes.bring little packets of hot peppers because they don’t have that either…
Jill, I will try. My intake of coffee has increased from two to four cups a day over the last year or so.For coffee drinkers, ease back to one or two cups a day. Too much coffee was giving me leg cramps at night. I am now cramp-free after suffering for two years almost every night.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?