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Those are "crestas de gallo." Not so commonly seen.Food: Stewed rooster combs
Why: It was a bowl of a dozen rooster combs.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Hahaha I can't remember! I can picture the Albergue and the village in my mind but I forget where I was! It was in February 2018 - so on the Via de la Plata probably.
Does it have a local name? unknown
What motivated you to try it? It was the set pilgrim meal at the only bar in town. Plus I had a nice little jug of red wine to accompany it!
Have you changed your mind now? It was alright, but I'd rather order something else on the menu!
View attachment 93546
Love Eel in sushi restaurantsFood: Eel
Why: They look revolting. Black. Thin. Slimy. Wriggly. A scene described in The Tin Drum (Günter Grass, Nobel prize for literature) about eels feeding in and from the brain of a dead horse's head, with the head being used as a bait for the eels to be collected by a fisherman for later human consumption, had scarred me for life.
Where on the Camino did you try it: Restaurante Perez, Portomarín
Does it have a local name: I don't recall. Probably empanada de anguila.
What motivated you to try it: It was one of the entries of their evening menu. The server recommended it. It was something local. I didn't fancy the other options either. I felt adventurous. My companion promised to eat it if I couldn't.
Have you changed your mind now: Yes. I loved the taste. I remember it as salty. It helped that I didn't see the actual fish but rather the filling of an empanada that could have been anything. I am keen to have it again.
So far, I've managed to steer clear of Schweinshaxens.
I had some splendid eel in garlic in a restaurant in La Rochelle when walking from Mont Saint Michel about 10 years ago. I had not had any eel for ages-- my father used to cook eel which the local Mohawks gave him and I do not recall it being anywhere as tasty as the eel in La Rochelle-- garlic covers many sins.Love Eel in sushi restaurants
I remember trying them 15 years ago in Santiago on a pub crawl, long before my first camino. I recall not being at all put off by them at the time and they tasted great, salty and crispy, perfect after a dozen beers! Would I try them again? Probably not unless I was drunk again...Food: Pig's ears
Why: I was at a festival
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Burgos
Does it have a local name? unknown
What motivated you to try it? People were scarfing them up and I thought, "Why not!?"
Have you changed your mind now? Nope. Not gonna eat those again!
Arn,
Andouiette. A french ‘delicacy’ made of the lower colon of a pig. Apparently, like politics, it should smell a little like sh!t. It needs far better marketing to get me anywhere near it.
I’m not a fan of morcilla - especially the more rustic versions. A more well-minced black pudding can be a thing of beauty, thinly sliced and fried, but the RM will eat (and drink) practically anything so I wouldn’t start there for recommendations.
I had porcupine in Borneo once. the menu de jour was ‘whatever comes in arrow range’, so it was pot luck. Like eating a car tyre.
George W Bush was reputed to say to his mother that when he became President he was then entitled to refuse to eat broccoli
Andouillette.Andouiette. A french ‘delicacy’ made of the lower colon of a pig. Apparently, like politics, it should smell a little like sh!t. It needs far better marketing to get me anywhere near it.
And if you sauté it in olive oil, garlic and paprika the taste will delight! Case in point- pulpoLove Eel in sushi restaurants
A fine single malt whisky is the world's best palate cleanser.In 10 Camino's I can not think of anything I have eaten that was disgusting.
That said, the worst thing I can recall eating is Limburger cheese. I had two uncles that used to slather Limburger cheese over raw onions. DISGUSTING.
I was gargling with scotch for the next 30 minutes.
Anytime someone says "Why their just like Doritos!" Don't believe them.Food: Pig's ears
Why: I was at a festival
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Burgos
Does it have a local name? unknown
What motivated you to try it? People were scarfing them up and I thought, "Why not!?"
Have you changed your mind now? Nope. Not gonna eat those again!
I first ate snails when assigned to the embassy in Paris..L'Escargot Montorguei. I was hooked. I've introduced snails to my immediate family and they all love them.Otherwise, I generally have the opposite problem -- I am obliged to follow insanely restrictive dietary needs, so that experimenting with this or that is generally no longer an option.
Though there are so many foods that I love that I can simply no longer eat.
The only "problem" meal I can recall on the Camino was in some trucker restaurant in the South of France on my 2005, and then it was bad cooking rather than the basic foodstuffs which were steak & chips.
I suppose I have a counter story from childhood in Valldoreix, which is on one of the branches of the Camí Catalan between Barcelona and Montserrat.
Food: Snails.
Why: Well I was a child -- Icky.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Valldoreix near Barcelona.
Does it have a local name? Cargols.
What motivated you to try it? My dad ordered them, and instead of the civilised French dozen or half dozen, they gave him a HUGE salad bowl full of them. He said "Ewww !!" after trying a couple and pushed the bowl away. Not his delicate and dainty garlic-flavoured Burgundy version (though really, he didn't much like those ones either).
Seeing this as a dare, I tried a couple -- loved them, and ended up scoffing the entire bowl !! (to the disgust of my siblings and the astonishment of my dad)
Have you changed your mind now? Nope !! But trustworthy ones have become crazily hard to find in the 21st Century ...
Ah, prawns!!! I will go out of my way for a LARGE dish of prawns.View attachment 93577
Food: Prawns
Why: They were served with their heads on, with their lifeless little eyes bugging out, with their alien little legs curled up, and -- AAARRGGHH! -- very unlike the mild and unmemorable shrimp dishes I was accustomed to back in the USA.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Restaurante A Esmara, Negreira, Galicia, Camino Finisterre, 4 June 2017. (Not a bad place otherrwise....)
Does it have a local name? Not that I recall....
What motivated you to try it? Naive optimism. Several vinos blancos....
Have you changed your mind now? No. Never, never, never again!
I have wild asparagus growing on my farm. It is as wide as my thumb and when harvested close to the ground absolutely to die for. Every day for three months I harvest a minimum of three pounds. I keep some to chomp on as I walk the fields , or save for supper. I give the remainder away. As I walk through Andalusia I've seen some pilgrims walk into the fields to nip a few stalks. I don't think its a good practice. Now, grapes hovering over the trail are a gift.I'm one of those annoyingly smug vegetarians who has never met a vegetable she didn't like. There's the added advantage that there are fewer disgusting mysteries. Other than limberger cheeese and bottled white asparagus - the mystery being what in the world people see in them. I sort of understand the complexity of the cheese, but the asparagus is beyond me. Especially since lightly cooked fresh asparagus is ambrrosia.
I have wild asparagus growing on my farm. It is as wide as my thumb and when harvested close to the ground absolutely to die for. Every day for three months I harvest a minimum of three pounds. I keep some to chomp on as I walk the fields , or save for supper. I give the remainder away. As I walk through Andalusia I've seen some pilgrims walk into the fields to nip a few stalks. I don't think its a good practice. Now, grapes hovering over the trail are a gift.
Sign me up!!!Whitte asparagus with buttersauace. When all this Covidbusiness is settled I will make this dish for my forumfriends!
Those are Gambas.
bottled white asparagus
Now, that sounds fine - like what I thought I might get in a restaurant in Briviesca on the Vasco, when I ordered asparrago con mayonesa. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to get this. But it was awful and I couldn't finish it.Whitte asparagus with butersauace.
Food: Pig's EarsNow, before you go off into LaLa Land, this thread is about FOOD.
When I was growing up many decades ago, I'll bet we can agree that there was a time your mother put something in front of you to eat and, if your response wasn't a simple NO, EW...that's disgusting is a close second.
As we mature, our tastes can change, but we still refuse to try some foods. In my case, it was a favorite of my dad's Creamed Cherry Herring. My grandparents tried, without success, to introduce me to SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN PORK KNUCKLE).
This thread isn't about your aversion to some foods at home; it's about meeting that food demon on the Camino and possibly beating it back. To keep us on track, here's an example of a response:
Food: Blood pudding (Served alongside British RM...they tried...unsuccessfully)
Why: It looks gross. I know how they make it, and it's disgusting.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Casa Ojeda, Burgos
Does it have a local name? Morcilla
What motivated you to try it? Pilgrim pressure. I gave in.
Have you changed your mind now? Yes. It's rather tasty, and I have it every chance I get.
Well, there you have it. Let's keep the ball moving.
Buen "Please, Sir, I want some more." Camino
Arn
Now, that sounds fine - like what I thought I might get in a restaurant in Briviesca on the Vasco, when I ordered asparrago con mayonesa. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to get this. But it was awful and I couldn't finish it.
All this talk of food is making me feel hungry!Now, before you go off into LaLa Land, this thread is about FOOD.
When I was growing up many decades ago, I'll bet we can agree that there was a time your mother put something in front of you to eat and, if your response wasn't a simple NO, EW...that's disgusting is a close second.
As we mature, our tastes can change, but we still refuse to try some foods. In my case, it was a favorite of my dad's Creamed Cherry Herring. My grandparents tried, without success, to introduce me to SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN PORK KNUCKLE).
This thread isn't about your aversion to some foods at home; it's about meeting that food demon on the Camino and possibly beating it back. To keep us on track, here's an example of a response:
Food: Blood pudding (Served alongside British RM...they tried...unsuccessfully)
Why: It looks gross. I know how they make it, and it's disgusting.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Casa Ojeda, Burgos
Does it have a local name? Morcilla
What motivated you to try it? Pilgrim pressure. I gave in.
Have you changed your mind now? Yes. It's rather tasty, and I have it every chance I get.
Well, there you have it. Let's keep the ball moving.
Buen "Please, Sir, I want some more." Camino
Arn
Was it something like this:I had some splendid eel in garlic in a restaurant in La Rochelle when walking from Mont Saint Michel about 10 years ago. I had not had any eel for ages-- my father used to cook eel which the local Mohawks gave him and I do not recall it being anywhere as tasty as the eel in La Rochelle-- garlic covers many sins.
I have had baby eels (angulas??) as a tapa in Logrono alongside some morcilla but I must confess I did so primarily to horrify some North American undergraduates. They (the baby eels) were very tasty but I prefer eating grown creatures.
Why would those prawns upset you? There isn’t even any roe stuck to their legs.View attachment 93577
Food: Prawns
Why: They were served with their heads on, with their lifeless little eyes bugging out, with their alien little legs curled up, and -- AAARRGGHH! -- very unlike the mild and unmemorable shrimp dishes I was accustomed to back in the USA.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Restaurante A Esmorga, Negreira, Galicia, Camino Finisterre, 4 June 2017. (Not a bad place otherrwise....)
Does it have a local name? Not that I recall....
What motivated you to try it? Naive optimism. Several vinos blancos....
Have you changed your mind now? No. Never, never, never again!
If you just had a "bowl of boiled pork parts" then you were short changed!Food: Maragato Stew
Why: It was a bowl of boiled pork parts.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Astorga
Does it have a local name? Cocido Maragato
What motivated you to try it? The owner said it was a specialty of Astorga and super specialty in his restaurant
Have you changed your mind now? Nope.
However, Astorga is also the place where we ordered Sol y Sombra at the bar in the Hotel Gaudi. The young bartender didn't know how to make it - so we told her. A shot of brandy and a shot of annisette. She made us a couple with about 3 shots of each served in a large brandy snifter and charged us only 4 euros!
I'm the opposite, Trecile...I love mayo (but not miracle Whip), but only on deli sandwiches or as the binder used in egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad.This is how I feel about mayonnaise on anything.
View attachment 93597
I'm the opposite, Trecile...I love mayo (but not miracle Whip), but only on deli sandwiches or as the binder used in egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad.
Shall we discuss vegemite or marmite next?
I do so enjoy watching Americans try Vegemite for the first timeI'm the opposite, Trecile...I love mayo (but not miracle Whip), but only on deli sandwiches or as the binder used in egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad.
Shall we discuss vegemite or marmite next?
Someone else may know, but I never saw it offered.I also believe that in general USA mayo is somewhat sweeter than the European version?
Someone else may know, but I never saw it offered.
But I'll attest that the cheapest, generic Belgian mayo is superior to most premium brands.Depends on the amount of vinegar and mustard that is used...
I remember those. (This is a fun thread, btw)one firm favourite is pigs' or beef cheeks
Than Mayonaise may be sweeter as Miracle Whip has a much more vinegar flavor, which for me is more a negative...but I'll take either of them rather than have a dry deli sandwich, along with Dijon mustard, my fave...I think it's the white wine in it I like so much.Depends on the amount of vinegar and mustard that is used...
Agree... Thanks, Arn! I think we all like our Camino food memories...even the bad ones!(This is a fun thread, btw
That is just SO cruel!I do so enjoy watching Americans try Vegemite for the first time. I control my urge to give advice and just sit and watch.
All that I know is that Vegemite is not used like peanut butter - less is better (and none even betterI do so enjoy watching Americans try Vegemite for the first time. I control my urge to give advice and just sit and watch.
My son once partook of some sheep’s head when he visited South Africa. It was cooked on an open fire. He said the dish was called, “Smiley.”...... I ordered stewed rabbit ... it came to the table with many floating rabbit heads complete with their full sets of tiny white teeth showing
My rabbit heads were wearing dentures.They had pearly whites.My son once partook of some sheep’s head when he visited South Africa. It was cooked on an open fire. He said the dish was called, “Smiley.”
Had I only been that pilgrim. A fine pate and crisp white wine is a perfect appetizer prior to Beef Bourguignon. Ah!I had a hospitalera in Decazeville, France proudly open a tin of patéde foie gras and announce this would be the protein at my dinner.
Blech. I tried it. I detested it (texture and taste) and handed my portion over to another, more grateful than I, pilgrim.
I enjoy foie gras, and less expensive pate's, but must eat it on crackers.Had I only been that pilgrim. A fine pate and crisp white wine is a perfect appetizer prior to Beef Bourguignon. Ah!
As to the small bones (or even large ones) Proverb: it's best to sit down to eat not to butcher. Try shoveling pasta when the gravy includes neck bones.*I have had blood/black pudding served with breakfast in Ireland and England...enjoyed it.
*"Soup" on the Norte...only chicken broth with tiny pieces of old bread mixed in for filler, nothing else in it. No flavor...No thanks.
*A bucket of cheap, tiny, slimy snails (uncooked?) in Tomar. So small you picked them out with toothpicks...Yuk.
*Canned, limp, white asparagus served on many salads in Spain...No thanks.
*Pulpo, yes, in Melide and other villages, but best shared in small doses.
*Fish, I love fish, but eventually avoided it on he Norte cuz I hated worrying about choking on sharp tiny bones...So no. In the US the prep/work is always done back in the kitchen.
*Stewed Rabbit heads...Yuk!!! I ordered stewed rabbit on the Primitivo as I'd never had rabbit before. It came to the table with many floating rabbit heads complete with their full sets of tiny white teeth showing...Ew...disgusting!
(I don't think that hotel liked pilgrims.)
.
Trecile, you win the prize for the most disgusting.When I visited my son in South Korea he tried to get me to eat this - silkworm pupa, which was set out at a bar in the same manner as we would have peanuts in the US or olives in Spain.
I declined.
I've spent some time eating with the Zulu in SA. I think they may have called it Skopo. Could be wrong because the four hours I spent basting it over a spit I consumed my weight in Lion Lager.My son once partook of some sheep’s head when he visited South Africa. It was cooked on an open fire. He said the dish was called, “Smiley.”
I've eaten that and cockroaches, but only after drinking a gallon of Soju. Considering to consume that much would normally kill you, or render you blind, it's better off I can't remember. Give me Galician Orujo anytime.When I visited my son in South Korea he tried to get me to eat this - silkworm pupa, which was set out at a bar in the same manner as we would have peanuts in the US or olives in Spain.
I declined.
Although my lovely Boer Meisie swore by Vegemite, I never developed a taste for it.All that I know is that Vegemite is not used like peanut butter - less is better (and none even better)
Try it on pig skins...no carbs!I enjoy foie gras, and less expensive pate's, but must eat it on crackers.
Yes, but the fat intake is up the yinyang...not sure which is worse.Try it on pig skins...no carbs!
Fat is good for you...thats another longer discussion. Likely as a PM.Yes, but the fat intake is up the yinyang...not sure which is worse.
Well you're the one who mentioned the word "carbs"Fat is good for you...thats another longer discussion. Likely as a PM.
Mayo = Salmonela, The cheek of many animals is considered one of the better parts.Than Mayonaise may be sweeter as Miracle Whip has a much more vinegar flavor, which for me is more a negative...but I'll take either of them rather than have a dry deli sandwich, along with Dijon mustard, my fave...I think it's the white wine in it I like so much.
Only when it sits at room temperature for ten minutes.Mayo = Salmonela, The cheek of many animals is considered one of the better parts.
We cut them out of fish all the time, excellent.Only when it sits at room temperature for ten minutes.
I have yet to try "cheek", but I sometimes am a bit cheeky.
I'll remember that tip, but we only catch bass and trout; not sure their cheeks would be big enough?We cut them out of fish all the time, excellent.
I was reading a book on ancient China and it said the job of cooking silkworms was coveted. They cook the worms as part of the silk removal process. Coveted because the person doing the boiling got to eat the worms. Probably not so much so nowadays!When I visited my son in South Korea he tried to get me to eat this - silkworm pupa, which was set out at a bar in the same manner as we would have peanuts in the US or olives in Spain.
I declined.
Not always iceberg leavesI did get very sick of iceberg leaves being passed of as salad on the French Camino,
A friend in the retail trade tells me that SPAM is also very popular in the US state of Hawaii.Not a Camino dish but probably the only dish I've eaten just the once and would never be tempted to try again: SPAM fritters.
My older brother Peter had been on a school outing to the Imperial War Museum in London where they'd been told about wartime rations and SPAM fritters so we asked our Mother to make them - "You won't like them," she said but we kept on and on asking so eventually she made them for Peter, me and out younger sister.
She was, as usual, right.
Our eldest brother who had experienced wartime cooking commented "And what you need to realise is Mum's version was pretty good compared to anybody else's!"
I understand SPAM is considered a delicacy in Korea (GIs and the Korean War).
Well, should you ever visit the Philippines? Be sure to give a miss to 'balut', even though it hits a mid-point on your 'evolutionary' criterion.Food: Eggs!
Why? When I was a child not sure. As an adult I want my food to have completed it’s evolutionary process. Ergo, chicken yes, eggs no.
In Spain, many times eggs were snuck in salads, tortillas, this and that. It took a fortnight or so before I knew just how to keep those huevos off my plate.
Food: Don’t know what it was!Now, before you go off into LaLa Land, this thread is about FOOD.
When I was growing up many decades ago, I'll bet we can agree that there was a time your mother put something in front of you to eat and, if your response wasn't a simple NO, EW...that's disgusting is a close second.
As we mature, our tastes can change, but we still refuse to try some foods. In my case, it was a favorite of my dad's Creamed Cherry Herring. My grandparents tried, without success, to introduce me to SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN PORK KNUCKLE).
This thread isn't about your aversion to some foods at home; it's about meeting that food demon on the Camino and possibly beating it back. To keep us on track, here's an example of a response:
Food: Blood pudding (Served alongside British RM...they tried...unsuccessfully)
Why: It looks gross. I know how they make it, and it's disgusting.
Where on the Camino did you try it?: Casa Ojeda, Burgos
Does it have a local name? Morcilla
What motivated you to try it? Pilgrim pressure. I gave in.
Have you changed your mind now? Yes. It's rather tasty, and I have it every chance I get.
Well, there you have it. Let's keep the ball moving.
Buen "Please, Sir, I want some more." Camino
Arn
Well, should you ever visit the Philippines? Be sure to give a miss to 'balut', even though it hits a mid-point on your 'evolutionary' criterion.
I leave the research to you.
Trust me, there's not enough Scotch to get that down easily.
B
How did you manage that? Seriously ... I’m so concerned about those eggs appearing on my plate that I’ve been thinking I could never do a home stay in Spain. How can one not offend one’s host, especially if one is a vegetarian?Food: Eggs! ..... It took a fortnight or so before I knew just how to keep those huevos off my plate.
In some countries you won't know you are eating cats and dogs.I have a simple rule for what I eat. If it comes from a living animal then in life I have to be able to talk to and pat the animal. This means cow, lamb, pig, chicken, odd goat, not cats and dogs!! I am not judgemental on what others eat, just squeamish
Balut is fine. Just remember to blow out the feathers. They tickle going downhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(food)
My word, I think I’d eat anything before I ate that.
Ummm, yeah.Balut is fine. Just remember to blow out the feathers. They tickle going down
They may have been, um, ersatz gulas anyway. At the St Michael tourist trap/mercado in Madrid, the seller of the gulas had a sign bragging about the high quality of the fish they were made from. (Think of the "fake crab" sticks at the grocery store, but these tasted better.)I had some splendid eel in garlic in a restaurant in La Rochelle when walking from Mont Saint Michel about 10 years ago. I had not had any eel for ages-- my father used to cook eel which the local Mohawks gave him and I do not recall it being anywhere as tasty as the eel in La Rochelle-- garlic covers many sins.
I have had baby eels (angulas??) as a tapa in Logrono alongside some morcilla but I must confess I did so primarily to horrify some North American undergraduates. They (the baby eels) were very tasty but I prefer eating grown creatures.
Just say Soy alérgico/a a los huevosHow did you manage that? Seriously ... I’m so concerned about those eggs appearing on my plate that I’ve been thinking I could never do a home stay in Spain. How can one not offend one’s host, especially if one is a vegetarian?
Ha...haggis!When I was just a sprout, the household rule was to eat everything put before you. In a household of 8, there was survival value in following the rule.
I have been 1.8 m tall and 70-79 kg in weight for the last 50 years. As soon as I had my first job, it became apparent that erratic work loads and travel made missing meals a fairly routine affair.
My personal rules developed over the years boiled down to three:
1) Never miss a chance to use a clean bathroom.
2) Never miss a chance to get some sleep. Wherever, however.
3) Eat whatever is available when traveling. You can cook your own favorites at home.
Food on the Camino? Never once gave me pause....but then I was hungry all the time. ALL. THE. TIME.
I am not being a "reverse snob" here. I DO understand the problem....and believe that many would not find me an agreeable travel companion.
During travels over eight countries with a devoted Frenchman, he opined that my ability to eat "whatever" was "truly disgusting". A few years later, his sentiments were echoed by a Scotsman over my choice of haggis for the evening meal.
To each their own....and, "Say, what's in the pot on the back burner? Smells like food..."
B
Of course !!! That is a fabulous solution. Thank you!Just say Soy alérgico/a a los huevos
But still inferior to making your own with good farm egg(s) and high quality olive oil.But I'll attest that the cheapest, generic Belgian mayo is superior to most premium brands.
Oh yes, mayo w/relish is "tartar sauce" in the US and enhances the flavor of less expensive fish, and I don't think potato salad could exist without mayo to bind it..It's good with some types of fish, in potato salad,
There's tons of yummy potato salad recipes without mayo!I don't think potato salad could exist without mayo to bind it..
There's tons of yummy potato salad recipes without mayo!
Including German potato salad
Authentic German Potato Salad
Bacon gives this warm German potato salad recipe a boost of flavor. Vinegar and sugar in the dressing are the perfect combination of salty and sweet.www.allrecipes.com
My friend, it sounds like you eat very dry sandwiches and hamburgers...where's the goo!Thank you.
Mayonnaise and ketchup and mustard, and relish: no, no, no, no.
And, no special sauce on that sesame seed bun either!
My friend, it sounds like you eat very dry sandwiches and hamburgers...where's the goo!
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