Lou elliott
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- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino de Santiago
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True. If you had paella that was included on a "pilgrim's menu" or the "menu of the day", it was in all probability reheated/microwaved. It doesn't do homemade paella justice, but if you look around a bit while walking the Camino Frances you will find somewhere where you can get it homemade style, and it's damn good.Paella can be fantastic but caution must be taken! It is a regional food from around Valencia so if you are walking the Camiño de Levante it should be great, along the Camiño Francés it probably came out of the freezer in a box and was microwaved or be ready to pay...a lot. Pilgrim menus can be, ah, well, boring big time - the ubiquitous lomo is soon ignored, baccalà can be found but like paella the better dishes will set you back, regional dishes also include corva de jamón - ham hocks - delicious but not for the faint at heart. Beware the Spanish omlette! Also found everywhere and usually found sitting on a dish or tray covered by a clear glass or plastic cover can be fantastic, the question remains how long has it been there waiting for you? If you see it come out of the kitchen go for it, the microwave may heat one previously made but it does nothing to restore its taste. Bocadillo? The Spanish sandwich - you want one with chorizo? That's what you get, chorizo and baguette . You want with tuna? Tuna and baguette . Salami? Salami and baguette . In order to avoid disappointment, tell the guy exactly what you want tomato lettuce (lechuga) onion (cebolla), whatever. Try everything until you find what you like, patronize the weekly markets you will meet and buy what you realy want, cook for yourself.
Beer.
Beware the Spanish omlette! Also found everywhere and usually found sitting on a dish or tray covered by a clear glass or plastic cover can be fantastic, the question remains how long has it been there waiting for you? If you see it come out of the kitchen go for it, the microwave may heat one previously made but it does nothing to restore its taste.
Well said scruffy1, Paella is definitely not at home along the camino and the deep-frozen variety advertised with mouthwatering pictures is invariably trash. The broader issue however is the fact, that an overwhelming majority of peregrinos is neither willing to pay for good food, nor does it seem to care. That many albergues in spite of it manage to serve hearty, sometimes even tasty meals is amazing and a blessing for those peregrinos on a tight budget. But let's face it: many, especially coming from overseas would be able to afford a few extra coins to indulge their palate if they wanted (cared-) to. The better Restaurants in regions along the camino, especially in Rioja and Galicia offer wonderful culinary specialities but strayed pilgrims will invariably order the menú peregrino or, -when feeling frivolous, the menú del día. No wonder that the ambitious caterers long lost interest in wasting their skills. The result is the prevailing local variety of junk food (that is usually flushed down with sugared soda....even in Gods own vineyard, the RiojaPaella can be fantastic but caution must be taken! It is a regional food from around Valencia so if you are walking the Camiño de Levante it should be great, along the Camiño Francés it probably came out of the freezer in a box and was microwaved or be ready to pay...a lot. Pilgrim menus can be, ah, well, boring big time - the ubiquitous lomo is soon ignored, baccalà can be found but like paella the better dishes will set you back, regional dishes also include corva de jamón - ham hocks - delicious but not for the faint at heart. Beware the Spanish omlette! Also found everywhere and usually found sitting on a dish or tray covered by a clear glass or plastic cover can be fantastic, the question remains how long has it been there waiting for you? If you see it come out of the kitchen go for it, the microwave may heat one previously made but it does nothing to restore its taste. Bocadillo? The Spanish sandwich - you want one with chorizo? That's what you get, chorizo and baguette . You want with tuna? Tuna and baguette . Salami? Salami and baguette . In order to avoid disappointment, tell the guy exactly what you want tomato lettuce (lechuga) onion (cebolla), whatever. Try everything until you find what you like, patronize the weekly markets you will meet and buy what you realy want, cook for yourself.
Hi Lou,calling all pilgrims interested in food
When you walked the camino what food did you crave/search for -what were you tired of and what were you wishing you could find
Let me know for research purposes-did you treat yourselves to snacks/chocolate/trail mix -did any albergues provided picnic take away provisions?
Thanks for your feed back !
Next year I may have the chance to run a small vegetarian Albergue so I m interested to add to pilgrims overall enjoymentHi Lou,
Are you researching for future business opportunities or as a future pilgrim? If it's the former, things I craved but struggled to find include protein bars, steamed broccoli, instant oatmeal, and raw almonds. If it's the latter, the things I found and totally enjoyed on a regular basis were pimientos de padron, pulpo, calamares, manchego, canned tuna in oil, ensalada mixta, trout, cherries, carrots, and wine. Oh, and chocolate bars with almonds.
Thanks for your commentsYou need to be more focused regarding your question or you are going to find out a lot of nothing. Like, for instance I am never looking for KFC or MCD's in France or Spain . So where does that leave you. I don't do snacks, either in Spain, France or American except a for bag of potato chips with my beer every evening and the chips in Spain are the best in the world.
The food is regional and therefore no uniformity of how beans, pork, beef, chicken is prepared. You might crave calamari frites and find out that calamari grilled is the only option. Where do we go from here? Enjoy.
Thanks that's really helpful -muesli and yogurt with fresh fruit-yum yum !!calling all pilgrims interested in food
When you walked the camino what food did you crave/search for -what were you tired of and what were you wishing you could find
Let me know for research purposes-did you treat yourselves to snacks/chocolate/trail mix -did any albergues provided picnic take away provisions?
Thanks for your feed back !
You will be receiving a lot of answers to your questions but here is my simple answer.Hi I am new to the forum and also want to know:
1. Do (some, most, any) of the Albergues provide meals with lodging say a dinner meal?
2. Is breakfast meal something you get night before, or on the way out of town?
I have not taken the time to read all the responses, my biggest suggestion is learn enough spanish to ask for what you are wanting. Ok so you won't really know until you start walking. Mine were avocado tomatoes & lettuce. Google translate is great for this (when you have wifi). The pears are to die for. Oddly enough I now crave green olives & beer. Got very tired of bread, but now I miss it. When I go back I will try to cook as I think you eat better as the markets can be wonderful. Biggest mistake I made was thinking spanish food would be close to Hispanic dishes from my neighbors to my south. Not even close.calling all pilgrims interested in food
When you walked the camino what food did you crave/search for -what were you tired of and what were you wishing you could find
Let me know for research purposes-did you treat yourselves to snacks/chocolate/trail mix -did any albergues provided picnic take away provisions?
Thanks for your feed back !
I have not taken the time to read all the responses, my biggest suggestion is learn enough spanish to ask for what you are wanting. Ok so you won't really know until you start walking. Mine were avocado tomatoes & lettuce. Google translate is great for this (when you have wifi). The pears are to die for. Oddly enough I now crave green olives & beer. Got very tired of bread, but now I miss it. When I go back I will try to cook as I think you eat better as the markets can be wonderful. Biggest mistake I made was thinking spanish food would be close to Hispanic dishes from my neighbors to my south. Not even close.
In any case enjoy.
Buien Camino
Keith
Pabloke thank you for replying. I simply love Spain even though this was my first trip to Spain I truly need more education in the culture. I made one very bad mistake, on my last day arriving in Finnesterre I had purchased fish for lunch I had not looked at the cost as I was very use to inexpensive food on the Camino. They charged me 50 euro for a 8" fish. I did not complain at the time as I figured I did not pay attention. So after walking to the lighthouse & back to Finnesterre I arrived at an albergue for the night. A spanish guy asked me if I needed a place to go for dinner as the fish was fresh. I replied the fish was too expensive, I think he was a fisherman as he was instantly on the fight. Needles to say I learned a good lesson about negativity & being too honest. As he did everything he could to fight. I still feel badMany people from the US make this mistake, which is good somehow as they can discover and enjoy a lot of new flavours.
Spanish cook has nothing to do with those americans. As an european country, its culture and costumes are related with its neighbours and those who historically have crossed the peninsula.
I recommend the different cheeses and chorizos you can find in each region, all married with the appropiate regional wines and a piece of nice bread.
Pabloke thank you for replying. I simply love Spain even though this was my first trip to Spain I truly need more education in the culture. I made one very bad mistake, on my last day arriving in Finnesterre I had purchased fish for lunch I had not looked at the cost as I was very use to inexpensive food on the Camino. They charged me 50 euro for a 8" fish. I did not complain at the time as I figured I did not pay attention. So after walking to the lighthouse & back to Finnesterre I arrived at an albergue for the night. A spanish guy asked me if I needed a place to go for dinner as the fish was fresh. I replied the fish was too expensive, I think he was a fisherman as he was instantly on the fight. Needles to say I learned a good lesson about negativity & being too honest. As he did everything he could to fight. I still feel bad
Paella can be fantastic but caution must be taken! It is a regional food from around Valencia so if you are walking the Camiño de Levante it should be great, along the Camiño Francés it probably came out of the freezer in a box and was microwaved or be ready to pay...a lot. Pilgrim menus can be, ah, well, boring big time - the ubiquitous lomo is soon ignored, baccalà can be found but like paella the better dishes will set you back, regional dishes also include corva de jamón - ham hocks - delicious but not for the faint at heart. Beware the Spanish omlette! Also found everywhere and usually found sitting on a dish or tray covered by a clear glass or plastic cover can be fantastic, the question remains how long has it been there waiting for you? If you see it come out of the kitchen go for it, the microwave may heat one previously made but it does nothing to restore its taste. Bocadillo? The Spanish sandwich - you want one with chorizo? That's what you get, chorizo and baguette . You want with tuna? Tuna and baguette . Salami? Salami and baguette . In order to avoid disappointment, tell the guy exactly what you want tomato lettuce (lechuga) onion (cebolla), whatever. Try everything until you find what you like, patronize the weekly markets you will meet and buy what you realy want, cook for yourself.
It was between 10 & 15e if I remember corectly, my total trip cost was around 4500e with airline, shuttle, train & 5 days in Madrid being a tourist at the end. 42 days total.How much would you pay for a delicious 3 course pilgrims supper with wine? This ,again , is by way of research for a possible Albergue next year -never going to be a millionaire but would need to cover costs -trying to do the maths!
How much would you pay for a delicious 3 course pilgrims supper with wine? This ,again , is by way of research for a possible Albergue next year -never going to be a millionaire but would need to cover costs -trying to do the maths!
Viranani, so what and where did you eat? Are there vegetarian tapas? I am also a non drinking lacto-ovo vegetarian. Le Puy was wonderful because the French don't use animal fat to season their food. I always had to pay the same price as the others, but the host usually tried to do something special for me, which I really appreciated. In Spain, after clearly explaining my needs, I was given beans which I later discovered contained pork for "flavor"... After being a vegetarian for over 40 years, animal fat tends to wreak havoc on my system. Not fun. I don't want to cook so I'm nervous about eating healthy.Lou, I'm a vegetarian and one of the minority who don't drink, so paying 8-10 euros (the going rate) for a pilgrim's meal with wine never appealed much. Now, a good vegetarian meal? That'd be another story completely. I'd happily pay that much.
It may be complicated, but may I would a 2-tier pricing--with and without the wine?
Where everyone else did, and made doViranani, so what and where did you eat?
Paella can be fantastic but caution must be taken! It is a regional food from around Valencia so if you are walking the Camiño de Levante it should be great, along the Camiño Francés it probably came out of the freezer in a box and was microwaved or be ready to pay...a lot. Pilgrim menus can be, ah, well, boring big time - the ubiquitous lomo is soon ignored, baccalà can be found but like paella the better dishes will set you back, regional dishes also include corva de jamón - ham hocks - delicious but not for the faint at heart. Beware the Spanish omlette! Also found everywhere and usually found sitting on a dish or tray covered by a clear glass or plastic cover can be fantastic, the question remains how long has it been there waiting for you? If you see it come out of the kitchen go for it, the microwave may heat one previously made but it does nothing to restore its taste. Bocadillo? The Spanish sandwich - you want one with chorizo? That's what you get, chorizo and baguette . You want with tuna? Tuna and baguette . Salami? Salami and baguette . In order to avoid disappointment, tell the guy exactly what you want tomato lettuce (lechuga) onion (cebolla), whatever. Try everything until you find what you like, patronize the weekly markets you will meet and buy what you realy want, cook for yourself.
.... so paying 8-10 euros (the going rate) for a pilgrim's meal with wine never appealed much. Now, a good vegetarian meal? That'd be another story completely. I'd happily pay that much.
It may be complicated, but may I would a 2-tier pricing--with and without the wine?
Hi, Zuze!
and there is a lot of good cheese!)
Great Idea - I am a veggie but ate Fish cheeses and eggs for my 2014 camino - there is a lot of variances on that available as far as Leon on the Frances. ..although the menu del dia was often all about canned tuna and canned asparagus and the lentil soup always had bits of ham floating in it even though they swore it was vegetarianNext year I may have the chance to run a small vegetarian Albergue so I m interested to add to pilgrims overall enjoyment
When I did the way I ate far too much delicious white bread ,craved vegetables that weren't overlooked and loved cafe con leche-I had hoped to lose a few pounds but I think I ate more than I used!!! Thanks for your comments
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