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Vegetarian foods in non vegetarian restaurants

Time of past OR future Camino
Going for Camino walk this Nov.
Hello, as it is coming to winter, all vegetarian restaurants' name that I found in the internet in camino route in both last 100km of Camino Frances and Fisterra are closed. I am unable to find vegetarian foods other than in Santiago de Compostela. Currently in Finister and been checking many restaurants but could not find one that serves vegetarian food. Going to Muxia tomorrow, not sure if any food to eat there. I really don't have much things to eat here in the past 12 days in Spain. I dont want to pay eur12 just to eat some salads like lettuce tomato. I hope to eat hot meals. Is that anything I can eat? Thanks.
 
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Tortilla de Patata is vegetarian (if you eat eggs) and lentil soup can be if they use vegetable broth as their base. The pre-made, frozen paellas are what they are: not great, but also not bad. Same with the various frozen pizzas served at bars.
 
Try the bars and look at what they have for tapas, usually along the counter. They may also have a written menu of tapas. Quite often they have a selection of vegetarian ones like stuffed mushrooms, peppers stuffed with rice. If you eat fish or eggs there should be plenty to choose from.
 
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lentil soup can be if they use vegetable broth as their base.
They mostly don't, so I avoid this like the plague.

Pizza, pasta, tortilla, tapas (there are always a few that are vegetarian)...occasionally you can get deliciius grilled vegetables...and pimentos de padron. All are vegetarian. If you're vegan it's much harder.
 
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I found vegetarian options and even vagan ones a lot easier to come by this year than my last camino, but i can understand people having a hard time still since spain is still kinda "traditional" with their food.
While i am sorry that i can not help you with Muxia, i want to encourage you to do some searching and i hope you'll find something to your liking.
Searching in Fisterra might have lead to the World Family, which is a great place offering lots of vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Unless it's closed at the moment, but that i don't know.
 
Hello, as it is coming to winter, all vegetarian restaurants' name that I found in the internet in camino route in both last 100km of Camino Frances and Fisterra are closed. I am unable to find vegetarian foods other than in Santiago de Compostela. Currently in Finister and been checking many restaurants but could not find one that serves vegetarian food. Going to Muxia tomorrow, not sure if any food to eat there. I really don't have much things to eat here in the past 12 days in Spain. I dont want to pay eur12 just to eat some salads like lettuce tomato. I hope to eat hot meals. Is that anything I can eat? Thanks.
Just now in Finister, I was told Galicia soup is veg
I found vegetarian options and even vagan ones a lot easier to come by this year than my last camino, but i can understand people having a hard time still since spain is still kinda "traditional" with their food.
While i am sorry that i can not help you with Muxia, i want to encourage you to do some searching and i hope you'll find something to your liking.
Searching in Fisterra might have lead to the World Family, which is a great place offering lots of vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Unless it's closed at the moment, but that i don't know.
Yes it is closed.
 
Sometimes we non-vegetarians have a strange notion of what meat is or isn't. Usually the Caldo Gallego or galician soup contains a product called unto which is a pork fat. Many soups will have broth which are meat based.

Are you vegan or vegetarian? It may be easier to try to find a place/albergue to cook for yourself than find true vegan food in this region in the winter. Lots of fish/shellfish and pork served in this part of Spain.
 
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Sometimes we non-vegetarians have a strange notion of what meat is or isn't. Usually the Caldo Gallego or galician soup contains a product called unto which is a pork fat. Many soups will have broth which are meat based.

Are you vegan or vegetarian? It may be easier to try to find a place/albergue to cook for yourself than find true vegan food in this region in the winter. Lots of fish/shellfish and pork served in this part of Spain.
Thank you very much for this. I think I better don't eat out again. I had to Galicia soup, yesterday evening and tonight. Now I know. I am a vegetarian not a vegan. But I cant soup with pork/fish stock. I asked the restaurants, they said solo vegetarian, no fish no chicken no pork stocks.
 
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Thank you very much for this. I think I better don't eat out again. I had to Galicia soup, yesterday evening and tonight. Now I know. I am a vegetarian not a vegan. But I cant soup with pork/fish stock. I asked the restaurants, they said solo vegetarian, no fish no chicken no pork stocks.
Yes, well that is possible that they did not use meat stock, but it would be unusual. As mentioned maybe some tapas items like patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicey sauce) or tortilla would be hot and filling. Pasta or pizza might also be an option where you can ask for mushrooms or other vegetable toppings with some cheese or the vegetarian paella even if it is heated up from frozen would be hot and filling.

I am sorry you are having this trouble. As a hospitalera, I always ask people about food preferences and accommodate.
 
Hello, as it is coming to winter, all vegetarian restaurants' name that I found in the internet in camino route in both last 100km of Camino Frances and Fisterra are closed. I am unable to find vegetarian foods other than in Santiago de Compostela. Currently in Finister and been checking many restaurants but could not find one that serves vegetarian food. Going to Muxia tomorrow, not sure if any food to eat there. I really don't have much things to eat here in the past 12 days in Spain. I dont want to pay eur12 just to eat some salads like lettuce tomato. I hope to eat hot meals. Is that anything I can eat? Thanks.
Hi Shinta - I have walked numerous Caminos and as a vegetarian it's tough. We tried to get a double order of vegetables at restaurants and we supplemented our diet in order to get protein by buying lentils, black beans other beans, cheese (we brought peanut butter) - good luck.
 
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Find a Chinese restaurant - tofu , vegetables rice noodles
Thanks. In winter like now, I don't think there is a h Chinese restaurants. I am not referring to Santiago de Compostela. I mean outside that. In Santiago de Compostela and Melide, it is easy to find vegetarian foods. Some places at Negreira too. But other than that on smaller towns, they are hard. Anyway, thank you so much. I ended cooking myself a lot or just eat random foods fr supermarket. Until I forgot to get stamps for Compostela due to pay so much attentions to go to supermarket queuing for kitchen, preparing foods and washing.
 
While not to make light of your question, the thinest most desperate looking people I met on various Camino's were vegetarians and especially vegans. This was especially true for people that didn't have a fluent command of Spanish.
I am sure Spain has it's own share of vegetarians and vegans, but when people were trying to order, the waiters mostly seemed puzzled and confused.
While most pilgrims were simply trying to manage thier feet, the vegetarians and vegans had a whole other issue of magnitude trying to figure out what they could eat and stay within their dietary requirements.
 
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I finished the Camino Frances in October 2022, and can say that it was extremely challenging to find a nutritious vegetarian meal on the Camino, often paying 12€ for bread and salad, or potatoes, and no protein. I always bought almonds at grocery stores so I’d have some protein every day without clogging my arteries with cheese in baguette or eating tortilla de patatas everyday, though they were nice once in a while. I also bought a jar of peanut butter that lasted for about two weeks. I’d buy wraps and bananas at the supermercado and make myself PB&B wraps to go. Although pasta and pizza are filling, they are not likely the nutrition you need. Occasionally I’d find falafel or a vegetarian lentil dish, or a veggie burger, but they were few and far between, but ultimately such a treat when I got them. Watch, however, as previously mentioned, not all the lentil dishes are vegetarian. The good news is, I wasn’t sorry about the excess pounds I left on the Camino.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Thanks. In winter like now, I don't think there is a h Chinese restaurants. I am not referring to Santiago de Compostela. I mean outside that. In Santiago de Compostela and Melide, it is easy to find vegetarian foods. Some places at Negreira too. But other than that on smaller towns, they are hard. Anyway, thank you so much. I ended cooking myself a lot or just eat random foods fr supermarket. Until I forgot to get stamps for Compostela due to pay so much attentions to go to supermarket queuing for kitchen, preparing foods and washing.
Chinese and Middle Eastern restaurants are easily found in cities such as Burgos, Leon, Ponferrada and Pamplona (nine Chinese and two south Asian in Logroño alone-- and a kebab place in Astorga!)-- and much more so on the del Norte, in Saint Sebastian, Santander, Gijon, and Bilbao. Pilgrims are not always aware that Spain has become a country of immigration in recent years and, as young Spaniards explore the world, they acquire tastes for the foods which remind them of their travels.

When I first walked the Camino (was it only twenty years ago??) the situation was truly desperate for vegetarians. But in the years since, walking with vegetarians and vegans and just keeping my eyes open, I note that there are many more possibilities than in those dark and far-off days.
 
We are vegan (not vegetarian, so no animal products) and have walked 9 different Caminos since 2015 and never had a problem getting enough nutritious food. We buy fresh fruit and veg and eat along the way so rarely need to go out to restaurants. However, when we found a restaurant that served vegan options we might treat ourselves. When we explain what we do and do not eat, we have always been well catered for even in restaurants or cafes that do not have vegan menu options, but we have noticed over the years that it is getting more common to see vegan options on restaurant menus, and also the albergues that serve community dinner always have plenty of salads and rice or pasta. Buen Camino!
 
I think the problem is it's difficult to tell until you get it. I'm pretty sure the arroz con setas I had the other day was vegan but it might not always be. Worth remembering that a lot of places do a half menu (1course, dessert and drink).
 
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Thank you very much for this. I think I better don't eat out again. I had to Galicia soup, yesterday evening and tonight. Now I know. I am a vegetarian not a vegan. But I cant soup with pork/fish stock. I asked the restaurants, they said solo vegetarian, no fish no chicken no pork stocks.
Caldo, *properly* prepared lentils, and even some potato dishes are fat-based - - but some dishes where the fat is eggs or dairy are vegetarian, and there are some poorly prepared lentils that are made without animal fat.

I suppose the least bad of those are prepared with much olive oil, and tomatoes and herbs, onions, garlic, and so on, but they're still a bit tasteless without the lard and whichever charcuteries.

I dunno, I'd suggest veg pizza with maybe an egg on top as an extra, tortilla de patatas, fried egg and chips, salad sin atún, cheese, one of the big supermarkets has pasteurised milk if you're not lactose intolerant, French omelette, maybe with mushrooms or cheese, and especially remember that the Spanish are usually very open to preparing modified versions of dishes on the menu. Which should help expand the number of salads and so on that you could eat.
 
You have to be specific: sin jamon, sin carne, sin pescada, por favor. Then thre's no confusion.
The was why I stated that if you have special dietary requirements a reasonably good command of Spanish is essential so there is no misunderstanding. Certainly my own Spanish would not be inadequate.
 
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a reasonably good command of Spanish is essential so there is no misunderstanding
Not really. I have a smattering of Spanish - functionally, almost none. But I did learn how to say that. It's enough for clarity. People should not worry that they'll have a hard time eating because they cannot speak Spanish; IME it's just not so.
 
i walked the french way in april/may this year and never had trouble getting vegetarian food. in many cases the cook would make something special for me, fresh, without my asking after i'd say "sin carne por favor!" no meat please :). it was great!
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I'm pescaterian so I leaned on ensaladas mixtas and bocadillos vegetal. I've found the Happy Cow app useful if anyone isn't familiar with it.
 

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