Food to carry

[cmackay]

Wondering what pilgrims carry in regard to food and can food be purchased easily for breakfast? Travelling from 20 Ma 2014

 

[Kiwi-family]

Some albergues provide bread or biscuits and jam with coffee or hot chocolate. Some pilgrims stop to buy a tortilla after a few kilometres. When possible, we tried to buy some cereal, fruit and yoghurt at a supermercado the day before and would eat before starting out. And there is *always* bread, but you might be a little tired of it after a while;-)

 

[mspath]

Breakfast and a big late lunch after walking are my norm with periodic bar stops throughout my walking day for coffee, hot chocolate or fresh orange juice and the loo. In Léon hot chocolate is so thick that the spoon almost stands in the cup. Served with freshly made crullers it is a delicious, caloric treat and fuel for trekking! For a delicious pick-up try freshly squeezed zumo naranja or orange juice. No champagne has ever tasted better!

In those albergues which offer kitchens many pilgrims for either dietary reasons and/or to cut costs prepare their own meals; except in emergencies I generally don't. However we all realize that today's food provides the fuel necessary for tomorrow's walking. Furthermore basic rations are always carried since the only shop or bar in town may NOT be open! My basics include tea bags, packets which make a cup of soup (even including croutons), firm cheese, small sausage, simple cookies and some chocolate. Often these same ingredients serve as a predawn breakfast hours before any Spanish bar would dream of opening!

Some hospitaleros provide delicious dinners; communal meals at Eunate (now closed) and Granon have always been memorable feasts. Generally for lunch or dinner many places along the way offer a standard three course Peregrino Menu (Pilgrim Menu) for 8€ or 9€. Although edible these often are only basic courses. A better alternative is the Menu de Dia (Daily Menu) which costs a bit more but provides much better quality and choice.

Margaret Meredith

 

[Larry from Sydney]

Well seeing how I enjoy herjey I will have SMS just for emergencies - I am sure there will be a few emergencies that I will share with others - in hot water makes a good beef tea as well


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[koilife]

Ditto to Margaret.

I'm also a fan of carrying dark chocolate (find one that holds its form in warmer weather -- it will be a delightful and worthwhile quest) along with nuts like cashews or almonds (or the nut of your choice). You'll find chocolate, nuts, and dried fruits all along the way.

Also, my son and I each carried two one-liter bottles of water. For breakfast, we split a one-liter box of juice (orange, pineapple, or peach, which we bought at the supermercado the night before). Each of us would drink one cup at the albergue and then add a second cup to one of our water bottles. Then, we would split any wine left over from the prior night into the same water bottle as the juice. Finally, we'd finish filling the bottle with actual water. After about 10 km, as our energy started to drop, we'd look for a place for "second breakfast" (usually a tortilla, which in Spain is an egg and potato concoction that is the ultimate source of walking energy, albeit a bit bland without Tabasco or chili sauce), and we'd drink the bottle with juice and wine. This would give us immediate and sustained energy which would last for the next 20 or so kilometers, which was about as far as we would walk most days. If needed, we'd toss in a bit of chocolate and nuts when our energy started to drop.

 

[KinkyOne]

Wondering what pilgrims carry in regard to food and can food be purchased easily for breakfast? Travelling from 20 Ma 2014

Most of the days I carried some pan (bread), chorizo (sausage, usually spicy) and queso (cheese) for intermediate meals. If you don't want to carry additional weigh on account of food then avoid taking fruits and other "heavy" stuff instead you eat it immediately after buying. Other option is to take some dried fruits, nuts etc. which is also a good source of energy. Tortilla or bocadillo (sandwich) is also a good and usually not pricey option, but there must be a bar in the village to get it. It's quite common that bars in smaller villages have a small tienda (shop) within. When you find local shop closed on many occasions I've found a note with owner's telephone number - just call them and you'll be able to buy some food. Overall it's not hard to get food in any form because the longest stretch on CF without a village is from Carrion de los Condes onwards for 17km. And even there (in 2011) was a guy with a camper parked somewhere in the middle of that distance with cold drinks, barbecue and all of that in the shade of a few trees

Buen provecho!

 

[nidarosa]

I found a brand of gazpacho - cold tomato and vegetable soup - which came in small cartons like the juice ones. Pick up one of those for yourself, or a litre carton between more people, and some cheese, sausage, olives, bread etc, stop at a nice place, empty the gazpacho into your cup, dip the bread in and enjoy. Nourishing and delicious!

 

[Kanga]

I have a yoghurt first up, stop for second breakfast when I find an open cafe (tortilla), then menu del dia at 2 or 3pm, bread and a light salad or fruit at night in my accommodation.

On the Le Puy we have demi-pension where possible - so breakfast and diner in the accommodation, 2nd breakfast of a cafe au lait and pastry, baguette and fillings for lunch.

For a pick-me-up and emergency rations we always carry a small amount of dried fruit and/or nuts, sometimes a piece of fresh fruit and yes, definitely chocolate!

 

[jmcarp]

Those little cans of tuna found in every tienda are easy to carry for emergency rations, and they don't spoil or get greasy like some sausage and cheese. If you carry fruit, make it an apple, a pear, or an orange -- bananas and peaches are easily squished in a backpack and can make a disgusting mess. I also brought a few granola bars from home for quick snacks. The tiendas also sell those little boxes of juice with a straw that are easy to carry.

 

[gerardcarey]

I like to carry the "Tux" brand salted crackers, the little round ones. They are light and you can top them with tuna, cheese, tomato, whatever. They are sometimes a little hard to find so I buy two packets.
The little screw-top jars of Pate are also a favourite of mine.
I love to stop when it's hot and carve up an juicy orange, and a banana is always a good backup.
I boil eggs in my mug, using my electric coil. Pop em in the top of my pack for a quick protein snack. Yum.
Regds
Gerard

 

[Kathy F.]

The only "provisions" I carried that lasted most of the way was a packet of soup mix for a lightweight emergency dinner (I used it once). The cheeses, chocolates, bananas, etc., often ended up being tossed.
I was always able to find a cafe/bar/restaurant in the morning where I could get a cafe con leche and croissant, sometimes also tortilla and/or fresh squeezed orange juice.
I had quite a memorable experience the one morning I decided to have yoghurt for breakfast. Not in a good way. Never again (and I eat yoghurt all the time here at home).
Coffee and croissant in the morning have become a lasting habit (I'm enjoying them now as I write this).

 

[Dutch]

I always buy fruit and tiny tomatoes as breakfast. I buy this the day before. Then when panaderias open, i buy a freshly baked bread. And on my stops, a croissant or tostada with cafe con leche in the cafes on the way.

 

[Thornley]

Buy banana day before..................fresh bread if town big enough in morning..they usually are
Order coffee and have your breakfast whenever.....visit rest rooms and keep 4 pieces of paper.....never forget this
and as Kanga said
Have a great lunch a few hours after noon when you stop.

Fruit , wine , olives , wine, bread , wine for dinner....all in small amounts except for the ????

We found the best meal was lunch , relax after a siesta and have a small dinner.
Three days in and you will be aware of the system
and
Cmackay .................don't miss the tapas in Logrono ..............thats where you have a great night with your walking mates
Don't stay in albergues in this town as the night starts around 10pm
Share a pension with a few......just as cheap.
Have a great time.

 

[lettinggo]

Hola

Fruit
Bread
Chorizo
Cheese
Powder soup
Tea bags
Garlic
Biscuits

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[Jo Jo]

Backpacking in the U.S. I always hang bear bags or use a bear canister to keep out not just bruins but also rodents. I'm assuming there are rodents on the camino, so if we are buying food for breakfast the next morning before the cafes open, I'd appreciate any experience on how you avoided sharing with our four-footed friends during the night (learning to eat second after such friends is not a spiritual lesson I'm willing to learn just yet).

Thanks,
Jo Jo
68 days to go

 

[Thornley]

Jo Jo , there are no rodents on the camino.
You will find more and more albergues are using the french way and placing your pack in the garbage bag to stop bed bugs spreading.
In gites on the Le Puy camino your bags do not reach the bedroom on many occasions , being kept on ground level in one room.
However when you swim in the ocean on return always remember that there are more sharks on land than in the sea.

Hola

Fruit
Bread
Chorizo
Cheese
Powder soup
Tea bags
Garlic
Biscuits

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

Have only carry on luggage mate , totalling 7kg including bag.
Why carry when you can buy?
Never have bread, cheese and meats without the wine .........and always share.
The bloke i admire did turn water into wine ..........thats was a good hint for me.

 

[Thornley]

I found a brand of gazpacho - cold tomato and vegetable soup - which came in small cartons like the juice ones. Pick up one of those for yourself, or a litre carton between more people, and some cheese, sausage, olives, bread etc, stop at a nice place, empty the gazpacho into your cup, dip the bread in and enjoy. Nourishing and delicious!

And if you ever walk with a young Korean get them to cook fried rice at the albergue.
They normally carry a paste [ red chilli] that is out of this world with fried rice..........never seen so many people raving about a meal.

 

[Dutch]

Backpacking in the U.S. I always hang bear bags or use a bear canister to keep out not just bruins but also rodents. I'm assuming there are rodents on the camino, so if we are buying food for breakfast the next morning before the cafes open, I'd appreciate any experience on how you avoided sharing with our four-footed friends during the night (learning to eat second after such friends is not a spiritual lesson I'm willing to learn just yet).

Thanks,
Jo Jo
68 days to go

Four footed friends? Like.....what? And avoid sharing at night? Do you think these four footed creatures, whatever you think they are, would enter an albergue? The only things i chased some nights were flies. Damn flies! Oh and mosquitoes, but i guess your asking for it when sleeping in a garden shed :-@

 

[Kanga]

Backpacking in the U.S. I always hang bear bags or use a bear canister to keep out not just bruins but also rodents. I'm assuming there are rodents on the camino, so if we are buying food for breakfast the next morning before the cafes open, I'd appreciate any experience on how you avoided sharing with our four-footed friends during the night (learning to eat second after such friends is not a spiritual lesson I'm willing to learn just yet).

Thanks,
Jo Jo
68 days to go

I have never heard of rodents in an albergue. The hospitalero would be horrified.

 

[Rambler]

I'm assuming there are rodents on the camino, so if we are buying food for breakfast the next morning before the cafes open, I'd appreciate any experience on how you avoided sharing with our four-footed friends during the night

Jo Jo:
The Camino is not the AT. You are staying in hostels, not shelters, and you are not camping unless you choose to be outdoors overnight. You are as likely to find a rodent in an albuerge as you are to find one in a Motel 6 (actually, probably less likely).

I always bring two power bars to have in an emergency. I hate the way they taste, so I know they will be saved for that time when I really need them.
Making or buying a bocadillo (sandwich) of chorizo and manchego is a great mobile meal to eat wherever you get hungry and most bars will have them or make you one to take along. but stopping in the bars for a tostado breakfast is always a highlight.

Rambler

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

I did well with hard cheese, bread whatever veggies I could find some fruit where available and ham. My quest became peanut butter. Hard to find in Spain. Then there was the canned corn and sardines. LOL. I'll eat just about anything when travelling with the exception of the Pulpo. I won't eat any creature more intelligent than a human. HA ha ha ha....

 

[fernandezr]

I did well with hard cheese, bread whatever veggies I could find some fruit where available and ham. My quest became peanut butter. Hard to find in Spain. Then there was the canned corn and sardines. LOL. I'll eat just about anything when travelling with the exception of the Pulpo. I won't eat any creature more intelligent than a human. HA ha ha ha....

Too bad, pulpo is excellent!

 

[Mark Lee]

Whenever I could I always bought some fruit and dark chocolate the night before. Ate some fruit first thing before I started my walk for the day and snacked on the rest as I went. I love that dark chocolate.
Of course I always stopped somewhere around 8-9 am if I could and had some coffee, and maybe some food.

 

[Bajaracer]

I did well with hard cheese, bread whatever veggies I could find some fruit where available and ham. My quest became peanut butter. Hard to find in Spain. Then there was the canned corn and sardines. LOL. I'll eat just about anything when travelling with the exception of the Pulpo. I won't eat any creature more intelligent than a human. HA ha ha ha....

These stores carry Capitan Mani peanut butter:

- Pamplona: Leclerc, El corte inglés, el nuevo HIPERCOR
- Burgos: ALCAMPO, Carrefour y HIPERCOR
- Logroño: ALCAMPO Carrefour
- León: El corte inglés y Carrefour
- Ponferrada: Carrefour y GADISA

 

[Thornley]

I did well with hard cheese, bread whatever veggies I could find some fruit where available and ham. My quest became peanut butter. Hard to find in Spain. Then there was the canned corn and sardines. LOL. I'll eat just about anything when travelling with the exception of the Pulpo. I won't eat any creature more intelligent than a human. HA ha ha ha....

That means you never stopped in Melide , a great experience.

 

[Thornley]

Whenever I could I always bought some fruit and dark chocolate the night before. Ate some fruit first thing before I started my walk for the day and snacked on the rest as I went. I love that dark chocolate.
Of course I always stopped somewhere around 8-9 am if I could and had some coffee, and maybe some food.

Tried that Mark but it melted .
Got around that by getting smaller blocks and all gone by morning tea .

 

[Bernard duffy]

I like to carry the "Tux" brand salted crackers, the little round ones. They are light and you can top them with tuna, cheese, tomato, whatever. They are sometimes a little hard to find so I buy two packets.
The little screw-top jars of Pate are also a favourite of mine.
I love to stop when it's hot and carve up an juicy orange, and a banana is always a good backup.
I boil eggs in my mug, using my electric coil. Pop em in the top of my pack for a quick protein snack. Yum.
Regds
Gerard

Electric coil ???

 

[gerardcarey]

Electric coil ???

Perhaps more properly called an "Immersion Heater".
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...ric-coil-changed-my-life-on-the-camino.19167/
Regds
Gerard

 

[ilovelife]

I found a brand of gazpacho - cold tomato and vegetable soup - which came in small cartons like the juice ones. Pick up one of those for yourself, or a litre carton between more people, and some cheese, sausage, olives, bread etc, stop at a nice place, empty the gazpacho into your cup, dip the bread in and enjoy. Nourishing and delicious!

Best. Idea. Ever!

 

[Jo Jo]

Thank everyone. My only previous experiences walking and staying in huts was in New Zealand, and there were certainly rodents in them (in addition to a possum one night--let's just say that New Zealand possums are much more energetic and havoc-creating than their American cousins).

 

[Kanga]

Thank everyone. My only previous experiences walking and staying in huts was in New Zealand, and there were certainly rodents in them (in addition to a possum one night--let's just say that New Zealand possums are much more energetic and havoc-creating than their American cousins).

Jo Jo, an albergue is nothing like a NZ hiking hut I can assure you. The only wildlife you are likely to encounter in albergues are feral pilgrims who get up before daylight and rustle plastic bags.

 

[Bernard duffy]

Perhaps more properly called an "Immersion Heater".
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...ric-coil-changed-my-life-on-the-camino.19167/
Regds
Gerard

Perhaps more properly called an "Immersion Heater".
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...ric-coil-changed-my-life-on-the-camino.19167/
Regds
Gerard

Great idea Gerard,SOLD ))

 

[tpmchugh]

All very good replies so nothing much to add. The only problem I had was that after a time you get so fed up drinking water. I went looking for fruit concentrates to make up in the water and never found a shop anywhere selling them. Next time I am bringing some of those little packages that seem to be new to the market from Robinsons. Just add a few drops to the water bottle and you have a nice flavoured drink

 

[Kanga]

All very good replies so nothing much to add. The only problem I had was that after a time you get so fed up drinking water. I went looking for fruit concentrates to make up in the water and never found a shop anywhere selling them. Next time I am bringing some of those little packages that seem to be new to the market from Robinsons. Just add a few drops to the water bottle and you have a nice flavoured drink

You need "sirop concentrado limón" (or whatever flavour) made by Teisseire (?) and sold in all the big supermarkets - it comes in a tin vaguely shaped like the female form. Well, it has a waist. Pure concentrated juice is "jugo concentrado". Beware of adding either to a water bladder. The sugar is hard to clean out.

 

[Larry from Sydney]

Is there any jerky on the Camino Frances


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[Thornley]

What do you think happens to all the bulls after loosing in the ring?
Not into jerky, bit late on scene that word, but the Spanish have had dried meat for centuries
Give morcilla a go Larry .

 

[WalkCWalk]

we have PB2 - a powdered peanut butter that when mixed with water, is pretty darn good. Made from real peanuts. I'll be taking some of this in small baggies for a quick protein.

 

[rubyslippers]

Is there any jerky on the Camino Frances

We have a deer farm here in NH and I've always taken some of our Venison Sticks (like Jerky), but we haven't had them made this year. They didn't need to be refrigerated so traveled well in my bag. I didn't see much of it on the camino. Ate the best Valencia Oranges I've ever had in my life, great, packets of cheese (but didn't last in the heat) and never passed a store without picking up a potato or carrot for "group soup". Some will cook pasta, others veggies and another a bottle of vino. Wonderful. You won't want to wait till 8:30 - 10PM to eat, which isn't unusual in Spain so grab something and cook it up after you take your shower. I also carry granola bars and nuts. you can buy those as you go. I cooked hard boiled eggs and put them in the fridge several times, but they were ALWAYS gone in the morning. I'll never understand a thief.

 

[Bajaracer]

Is there any jerky on the Camino Frances


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Supposedly there is, but I never saw any, it's called Carne Seca.

 

[Kanga]

Is there any jerky on the Camino Frances


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Jamon Serrano is air dried ham. The best in the world! Also the local sausages, salami type, contain air dried meat.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Not sure about jerky but you can find lovely dried salami type products in the unrefrigerated meat sections of the markets.

 

[koknesis]

my favorite always has been fuet : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuet
not sure how popular it is outside of Catalonia ...

 

[Say Simba]

Wondering what pilgrims carry in regard to food and can food be purchased easily for breakfast? Travelling from 20 Ma 2014

Sadly, a breakfast in Spain along the Camino will be lacking for most Americans and Europeans looking for a hearty meal. Most of the time you will fight in a line for a simple pastry and a tea or coffee. I love Spain, but service is slow, very slow. I normally would buy fruit and juice in a store each night once I was settled in the albergue. In the morning I would eat that and only buy a coffee from whatever shop was open, if the albergue did not have any. I might also take an apple and banana for along the way. Romantic notions that I possessed at the beginning of carrying a bottle of wine, olives, and bread in my pack for a mid-day lunch disappeared quickly in the cold and rainy days of the unusual weather of the spring of 2013. It was only more weight. Quickly I learned that each town has a little café or store to buy what you need for a snack or to eat lunch.

 

[Bajaracer]

I liked having a slice or two of tortilla for breakfast, a lot more filling than just coffee and toast, you can buy the whole tortilla in the refrigerated section in the supermercados for €3-4 and slice it up and make a couple of bocadillos that will keep you fueled up until dinner.

 

[sriyantra]

Is there a supermercado in Zubiri?

 

[OzAnnie]

Is there a supermercado in Zubiri?

Sriyantra
For food items? We went to a shop close to the corner to buy fruit. They carried most things one would want. Cheese, sausage, biscuits, soap, whatever.. We didn't look too far. Someone in the group had booked a number of us for dinner in a restaurant that evening.. So didn't have a lot of time to wander about town. Ie shower, washing, recovery...came first. The town does have hotels, alburgues, restaurants in town. I think I even bought postage stamps there that day. So you should be able to get what you need if you arrive at a time when shops are open?
Annie

 

[mspath]

Is there a supermercado in Zubiri?

Not a supermarket as such but next to the only church in town is a small well stocked market. It is located after you cross the bridge, Puente de Rabia, set between the private albergue Zaldico and the church. Another small market is located nearby on the Calle de la Zatoya.

MM

 

[koilife]

. . . let's just say that New Zealand possums are much more energetic and havoc-creating than their American cousins.

That's because your possums know they are at risk of becoming part of someone's stocking hat, or sweaters, or gloves, or whatever. Those possum/merino blends are incredible.

 

[Pilgrim-S-414]

I found Hero muesli bars to be very useful and pack lots of energy in a small and lightweight package
http://goo.gl/FhthFc

 

[sriyantra]

Not a supermarket as such but next to the only church in town is a small well stocked market. It is located after you cross the bridge, Puente de Rabia, set between the private albergue Zaldico and the church. Another small market is located nearby on the Calle de la Zatoya.

MM

Thank you. This is a perfect example of why this forum is so valuable. We will have a kitchen where we are staying so I thought I might make a meal. We will be staying on the Calle Puente de la Rabia so it should work. Of course I'm not planning, I am going with the flow.....but I just can't help myself at times!!

 

[sriyantra]

Sriyantra
For food items? We went to a shop close to the corner to buy fruit. They carried most things one would want. Cheese, sausage, biscuits, soap, whatever.. We didn't look too far. Someone in the group had booked a number of us for dinner in a restaurant that evening.. So didn't have a lot of time to wander about town. Ie shower, washing, recovery...came first. The town does have hotels, alburgues, restaurants in town. I think I even bought postage stamps there that day. So you should be able to get what you need if you arrive at a time when shops are open?
Annie

Thanks Annie. See my reply to ms path. I have to keep reminding myself that the Camino Frances is not Australia and there aren't vast distances between towns!

 

[gerardcarey]

That's because your possums know they are at risk of becoming part of someone's stocking hat, or sweaters, or gloves, or whatever. Those possum/merino blends are incredible.

Possum Pie....Yum
Waste not, want not.

 

[WildPlace]

Food carried– I usually had a selection of cheese, chorizo, jamón, nuts, dates/dried fruit, pork scratchings (pork rinds), fruit, tinned tuna and/or sardines. In various places I found the most amazing and tasty tins of pate, I can't remember the brand but the duck was the best - not full of additives like in the UK. Some of the fruit purchased from the small roadside shops was delicious!

Because of a medical condition I have very strict and particular dietary requirements so had to make sure that I had something to eat with me. I made the initial, very naive mistake of assuming that I would be able to find suitable food or a shop at Roncesvalles so in the interests of pack weight I didn't carry anything much up over the Pyrenees with me from SJPdP. There were many vending machines at Roncesvalles hostel, with a whole range of food, none of which I could eat apart from a single tiny tin of pate! I paid 9 euros for the pilgrims meal at the hotel and was only able to eat a single piece of fish (and drink a small glass of wine) – I reckon I used 3500+ kcals crossing the Pyrenees that day and only managed to eat 700kcals – boy was I glad to find a shop when I got to Zubiri the next day!


Over the course of the walk I lost 14 pounds!