Bring mayonnaise

[JabbaPapa]

Rabbit stew can be an absolute highlight along the Camino

I'll always prefer hare.

 

[trecile]

The best sandwich that I've had on the Camino was at Albergue Lamas when I was passing through Pradela on the mountain alternative out of Villafranca del Bierzo.

 

[Libélula]

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!

I never leave home without it!

 

[Former member 92300]

I like to put fruit outside in the little side pocket/mesh things.

I did... and that is where some of my messes occurred! I recall having at least one banana and 2 plums getting pulverized somehow - probably when I either dropped my pack - or used it as a backrest and forgot the fruit was there! And I was REALLY looking forward to my plums!

 

[Richmond Gardner]

I went to a Mexican restaurant in Spain (in Santiago) once and ordered tacos. I can tell you that once was enough!

As a confirmed mayo-phobe, this entire discussion is making me

I rarely ever eat bocadillos in Spain - they are definitely a last resort food for me, but the next time I do I will ask for aceite de oliva.

Omg…like the Japanese restaurant I went to in Santiago (which shall remain nameless). Just a sad attempt

 

[BookGirl305]

I did... and that is where some of my messes occurred! I recall having at least one banana and 2 plums getting pulverized somehow - probably when I either dropped my pack - or used it as a backrest and forgot the fruit was there! And I was REALLY looking forward to my plums!

empty tennis ball container maybe?

 

[TrvlDad1]

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.

Only available 10% of the time?isn’t mayonnaise a Spanish invention, from Mahon Minorca (although it is virtually a British province).

 

[nycwalking]

Dry sandwiches rock!

I’ve never understood you condiment people.

 

[JabbaPapa]

olive oil (it's "aceite." If you ask for "olio" you might get margarine!)

whooops !! Thanks, corrected.

 

[JabbaPapa]

As a confirmed mayo-phobe, this entire discussion is making me

Apart from one or two types of sandwiches, then as to mayonnaise I would certainly prefer to make my own, certainly for any purpose of feeding others !!

The real stuff is very different to the factory-made ... Difficulty with it on a Camino would be the eggs, must be absolutely fresh and never refrigerated, freshly laid is ideal, but the Spanish olive oil is great for it.

 

[SabsP]

Pechuga de pollo con lechuga y pimiento rojo. Perfect with good ingredients.

Oferta gastronómica del Bar La Botería de Pamplona - Pintxos - Raciones

En el Bar La Botería ofertamos una variada carta de Ensaladas, Platos fríos, Bocadillos, Tostadas, Raciones, Cazuelas y Postres. Y Pinchos

www.barlaboteria.com

La Boteria /Pamplona.

 

[SabsP]

Apart from one or two types of sandwiches, then as to mayonnaise I would certainly prefer to make my own, certainly for any purpose of feeding others !!

The real stuff is very different to the factory-made ... Difficulty with it on a Camino would be the eggs, must be absolutely fresh and never refrigerated, freshly laid is ideal, but the Spanish olive oil is great for it.

Don't forget good quailty Dijon mustard and some lemonjuice!

 

[JabbaPapa]

The best sandwich that I've had on the Camino was at Albergue Lamas when I was passing through Pradela on the mountain alternative out of Villafranca del Bierzo.

Mine would have been a pan bagnat, which would have been on the 2005, because despite keeping my eye out on the current one and actually walking all the way through Nice, I didn't come across anywhere making a decent one in 2019. Oh well, maybe on the Way back ?

I had one rather memorable sandwich last year, at Fontellas near Tudela in Aragón. It was as long as a short baguette, or 2/3rds of a normal one, and filled with an unlikely assortment of ham, tortilla scraps, tomato scrapings, other veg, egg, and a ton of olive oil. Especially, the bread was wonderful. Yummy !! Was a late dinner (close to midnight, actually the mask mandate ended before the sandwich did ) and some breakfast leftovers.

I know I've had some great sandwiches in France, but they're so routine in this country, they don't stick in the mind. Not even made with fresh-baked dense brown country bread, best butter, best ham (cooked or cured), and a decent cheese from the fromager at market. We simply take them for granted !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Only available 10% of the time? isn’t mayonnaise a Spanish invention, from Mahon Minorca (although it is virtually a British province).

Nobody really knows. The recipe for the sauce is older than its name.

Don't forget good quailty Dijon mustard and some kemonjuice!

The only real necessaries are the oil and eggs, all else is to taste and one's own personal version of the recipe. Especially if both your oil and eggs are absolute top quality, as was our local luck back in the 1990s & 2000s.

I liked to make mine with just a tiny sliver of el cheapo Amora mustard (more appropriate for this or vinaigrette -- or hot dogs !! -- than the better quality stuff, best reserved for other uses), and a drop of white wine rather than lemon juice or vinegar. A little salt or not, depending how it turned out and what it was for.

 

[SabsP]

Nobody really knows. The recipe for the sauce is older than its name.

The only real necessaries are the oil and eggs, all else is to taste and one's own personal version of the recipe. Especially if both your oil and eggs are absolute top quality, as was our local luck back in the 1990s & 2000s.

I liked to make mine with just a tiny sliver of el cheapo Amora mustard (more appropriate for this or vinaigrette -- or hot dogs !! -- than the better quality stuff, best reserved for other uses), and a drop of white wine rather than lemon juice or vinegar. A little salt or not, depending how it turned out and what it was for.

Ha.I always use the Amora ( sold here as Dijon btw).

 

[JabbaPapa]

Ha.I always use the Amora ( sold here as Dijon btw).

Amora makes several varieties -- but yeah, the basic & cheapest one is their moutarde de Dijon. Never found any compelling reason to get anything else, it's quite decent. Though some particular dishes are actually better with a higher quality condiment.

 

[SabsP]

Amora makes several varieties -- but yeah, the basic & cheapest one is their moutarde de Dijon. Never found any compelling reason to get anything else, it's quite decent. Though some particular dishes are actually better with a higher quality condiment.

For better quality I use Belgian Tierenteyn.
More runny consistency than Dijon though.

Mosterd, pickles en sauzen - Tierenteyn-Verlent

www.tierenteyn-verlent.be

Ah to be able to sit down now for a leisurely Sunday lunch somewhere in Spain...

 

[longwayhome]

I have carried a little jar of roasted piquillo peppers for this very reason. They’re almost universally available and the brine/oil mix they’re in will soften a bocadillo of hard bread and three-day-old manchego, and add some flavor to the whole thing.
I’ve also carried rioja to help me through this darkness.

All the best,
Paul

And how did that work out for you ? Did you enjoy the Rioja so much you forget to eat the manchego? Does this method also work for imaginary food .. you know the food you imagined you would eat over the last 5 km into town only to find the kitchens closed? I’m off to find some mustard…

 

[Cicada]

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”.n

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.

"When in Rome"

 

[Former member 49149]

Please, OP, forgive me. Seriously. The title of your thread makes me gasp in disbelief. Have you not read all the recommendations NOT to pack your fears? If you need mayonnaise, please stay at home. I am serious, but also incredulously amused, so I beg you, do not take offence. I have not read your opening post, or any responses, so am ready to duck when all the rotten tomatoes get aimed at me...

 

[peregrina2000]

When I wrote my original post about mustard for cramps (post #3) I tried to find an article I had read by or about the doctors mentioned below but I couldn't find it. I still can't but I've gotten one worth quoting and linking to.

When Peg was cured so fast I was skeptical thinking about how long it would take for digestion to work. The theory of how things work so fast at relieving cramps (unproven as far as I know) is quickly given.

Is there hope for leg cramp sufferers? - Harvard Health

Quinine, the best-established therapy for leg cramps, can have serious side effects. Evidence is weaker for leg stretches, vitamin B complex, and diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor XR)....

www.health.harvard.edu

I know this is off-topic (maybe we need a mustard thread to complement the mayonnaise thread ). Sorry I have missed all of the cramps discussion, but for those of you who are understandably skeptical about the mustard miracle, I got the tip years ago from @Anniesantiago. It ranks right up there with the other invaluable tip from forum members about bringing an electric coil. I used to get night cramps almost every single night and they were very painful. Annie told me to try mustard.

I now take one tablespoon of dijon mustard every night before bed, and I never have a muscle cramp. If I forget, and if I wake up with a cramp, I hobble to the refrigerator and take a tablespoon and the cramp disappears rapidly. I had the same doubt as Rick but it works!

I do like dijon mustard, but not in such concentrated quantities. I reduce the unpleasant taste by putting the spoon as far back into my mouth as possible and swallowing without it touching many surfaces in the mouth. That makes it far less disagreeable.

Edited to add — I know we delete threads with medical advice, so I want to make clear that I am only saying what works for me, and that I only offrer anecdotal evidence, not a peer reviewed scientific study. But I think taking a tablespoon of mustard is kind of in the “no harm, no foul” category of “medical advice.”

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I do like dijon mustard, but not in such concentrated quantities.

I love dijon mustard, but none of the other varieties. I do not get leg cramps, but for a less calorie snack, I often dip a few pretzel twists in it as it "cuts the mustard" and they go well together. I know it is consuming a few carbs, but has negligible to no sugar...you could try that combination.

 

[J Willhaus]

Usually we buy a loaf of bread at the panederia and some packets of ham and sliced cheese at the grocery store. Sometimes we can buy a few pats of butter and other times I buy the cheese wedges in foil rather than use mayo, mustard or oil. We just make our own sandwich when we are ready to stop.

 

[C clearly]

Usually we buy a loaf of bread at the pandemic

I have been making my own bread throughout the pandemic.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Please, OP, forgive me. Seriously. The title of your thread makes me gasp in disbelief. Have you not read all the recommendations NOT to pack your fears? If you need mayonnaise, please stay at home. I am serious, but also incredulously amused, so I beg you, do not take offence. I have not read your opening post, or any responses, so am ready to duck when all the rotten tomatoes get aimed at me...

Haha. No worries. It’s supposed to be a little true/funny. I am frankly surprised I haven’t seen more responses like your own.

I will not be staying home however!…

 

[J Willhaus]

I have been making my own bread throughout the pandemic.

Hate that auto fill feature that changes your meaning!

 

[WalkingJane]

Just take a little bottle of olive oil.

Or have a wedge of Spanish Tortilla (egg, not Mexican)

 

[Louise Comacchio]

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.

What I call real garlic bread, delish I eat it just as you describe, plain and simple, just like a good boccadillo, all it takes/needs is good bread and a good chorizo, nothing else.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

What are you like Reminds 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

We (Anglo-Irish) used to bring croissants from Sansbury's (UK supermarket chain) for the first breakfast at our holiday home as the ones from the local bakery were just dire.

I can understand the confusion of your British friends, with a complete lack of empathy with languages other than their own they probably confused les pommes with les pommes de terre and the resulting bangers and mash would have been truly dreadful.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

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.

We were given a large bag of fresh figs as a regalo when we bought picnic food on leaving Puente la Reina one year. I hung them from my pack strap where they swung happily until we stopped for lunch by which time they had been battered to mush.
I usually carry an 80z/240ml Lock & Lock cup to carry a large tomato for lunch - it doubles as a drinking cup at fuentes.

 

[jodemol]

Tube of Coleman’s English mustard. Renders pretty much anything edible.

I live in a small town on the Camino and one thing I miss more than anything,foodwise, is Coleman's mustard and maybe ginger biscuits.....lol.

 

[K_Lynn]

If you ask nicely, they will drizzle olive oil on the bread. A pinch of salt over the tomato and you have a delicious bocadillo!

 

[KFH]

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.

I have yet to personally try this but a nurse friend told us that at her hospital they routinely give yellow mustard when a patient has leg cramps, especially for their overnight patients.