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Vegetarian take away!!

Lou elliott

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino de Santiago
this is just an enquiry to see what the response is!!!
Would anyone buy take away vegetarian food if it was available? Having volunteered at a Vegetarain Albergue quite a few pilgrims said they would definitely buy things like cous cous ,quinoa salad ,brown rice and veg salad to take with them for lunch or the next evening-I just wondered what everyone else feels/thinks
Also if you have done the camino what did you miss/crave food wise that you may have bought had it been available ? I am not looking to make a business just feed a demand-I struggled 4 years ago with veggie food and although it's way better now there is still a demand for good fresh nutritious fare
Let me know
Thanks
 
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I'm not a full vegetarian but I do eat mostly veggie food and would love it. I haven't been on the Camino yet, but from what I've read and seen on videos, some people have said that there's a dearth of fresh veggies. I've also heard that potatoes are mostly fried, so boiled or baked taters would be something I'd really miss. I think baked taters with salad and a selection of toppings such as butter or cheese, etc, would go down a treat...at least it would with me. :)
 
from what I've read and seen on videos, some people have said that there's a dearth of fresh veggies. I've also heard that potatoes are mostly fried,
I did not find that was the case. Virtually every meal offers a ensalada mixta. Patatas fritas is a standard part of many menu entrees, but it is OK to leave some, or all, of them behind. The supermarkets are filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, which are great for meals and snacks. Anyone venturing beyond the menu peregrino can find a wide variety of offerings, including fresh vegetables, cooked fresh vegetables, stews, beans, and meat in abundance. You won't find tofurkey, though, and manufactured soy products are hard to find. Most vegetables are cooked in some pig product. Pig's ears and tripe are an integral of many chickpea stews, so the before-I-became-hummus vegetable does not stay vegetarian. When I look for food, I like to know the vegetarian places, too. :)

The albergue in Pieros is a jewel (another thread), I agree.
 
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Yes, I would probably be interested as I tend to prefer grains to bread myself but I guess it would depend on accessibility to the same at stops along the route? I guess that I would be most likely to buy these pre-prepped products if I knew that I had a long trek with fewer places to buy food on route to my next destination.
 
This is a very good idea. It is possible to buy fruit in the shops, but not always kitchens in the hostels to cook the veg ! I am vegetarian, where we stayed often shared meals would always contain meat/fish, I found the salad would have tinned tuna added to it, as much as I love patatas bavas, rice/pasta etc would have made a nice change
 
My problem was tuna in ensalada mixta,or pork in veg soup.I had to explain in detail that bacon,pork ,chicken and all fish were off my menu as well as beef products.I ended up not having peregrino meals,but I survived.
 
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Hi Lou,
Good luck with this venture. It can be hard (although not impossible) to find good veggie food on the Camino. I would enthusiastically buy a good take-away option, especially if it didn't involve pasta or white bread. I still remember my delight on seeing Pilar's menu at Murias de Rechivaldo!

I imagine that there could also be a demand from non-veggies.

Nuala
 
Where are you thinking? Some parts of the Camino are better for vegetarians than others. Currently (as of last month) there's fantastic veggie food in Vilar de Mazarife, Murias, Pieros, Vega de Valcarce, La Faba, and A Balsa (a bit past Triacastella). But the Meseta? Other than a great pizza in Sahagun, it was-tortilla-and-toastas-land. Same with the Basque country.
But it's getting better out there. This year there was more than last year, even. There's a brand new macrobiotic café in Vega de Valcarce... And the Meson el Llar café in Murias had fantastic take - away that kept me going all the way to Ponferrada.
 
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Having walked the Frances and Norte, I am not impressed with the food choices on the Camino, let alone vegetarian. Of course, if you have time to run around and find high-end restaurants, and pay lot of money yes it is possible. Is that practical? May be for dinner.

Impossible to find a healthy breakfast, period. Most of the time you get some toast/dry bread , sweet muffins, jam and coffee/tea. I don't consider this breakfast. Only twice was I able to request and get some eggs and some toasts, once at a hotel and once at a private alberque and the lady was super nice to cook for us.

For a country with so much farming, vegetables are hard to come by on the Camino. Do you really consider lettuce with some corn and few slices of tomato with tuna a healthy salad? Never seen any green leaves on my salad plates.

For a country surrounded by ocean, you expect to get plenty of cheap fish. Wrong. Pork seems to be their protein of choice.

So, being diabetic, i had to struggle to get some healthy meals (less carbs). Some people were buying eggs and boiling them for breakfast and cooking healthy dishes at night. As a single traveller this is not an attractive option. So, i relied on spanish omelettes (late breakfast) at coffee shops and menu del dia for some fish/soup at night.

Yes, if there is healthy takeaway on the Camino, i will definitely buy it.
 
This might not be exactly on topic because I am not a vegetarian but I do try to eat as healthy as possible... i.e. whole grains,legumes, beans, fresh fruits and a lot of veg. But I do eat animal products (please no boo's) and I am now wondering if things like eggs and whole uncooked grains will be difficult to find. I'm good with boiling up some eggs the night before and making pre cooked grains and eggs and or cheese a good breakfast or any meal for that matter. But as Rajy62 said, I'm not much into the muffins and jam (good desert) but not a good breakfast. So are they difficult to find...?
I think it would be great to have somewhere I could grab something healthy to eat, pre cooked and packaged to go (loved the idea of a baked potato... potassium is good when you are sweating). What a wonderful way to have a late breakfast or lunch...stopped before the crowd, along the path. I mean I'm all for the experience of eating along the Camino, but white bread and jam will only get you so far.
 
LOL, I was so hungry and exhausted at the end of each day I didn't care what was on the menu. It was what was on offer and all part of the experience ;-)
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
You can buy grains and "specialty" veggie items in many grocery stores under the "dietetic" section. There are also "parafarmacias" and health food stores in most bigger towns. They sell the grains, pasta etc., but processed "whole foods" like tempeh and tofu are not a big thing in Spain.
Fresh fruit and veg are in abundance in the shops. If you like processed food, you may have to stock up in the city and carry it with you.

The camino is a pilgrimage, a practice in stripping away things that weigh you down. Sometimes, the things we gave up a while back (like meat) become burdens themselves! So if fresh fruit and veg is all you can find, that is what you survive on. It's about adjusting yourself to the environment, and not feeling bad when the environment does not adjust itself to you.
 
Tortilla con patatas, easy to find at any Bar along the way, any time of the day. Eggs and potatoes, like a dense omelet. Delicious the first several times but on day 30 one can become a bit jaded. But as Reb says, it's about making do with what is offered, and developing the habit of being content with that. Simpler, really, than having a lot of preferences.
As a vegetarian, I ate that and white bread a lot. Not what I'd normally choose to eat but never mind. it kept me going just fine. And it made me all the more grateful when I found wholesome vegetarian food with vegetables that were not either canned or overcooked!
 
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I missed my morning gallon of take away coffee (finally found an 8oz one to walk around with in Burgos). Granted it is one less piece of trash littering the camino countryside if they don't serve in paper cups. And I missed what I'll call French style baguettes for breakfasts or bocadilla. Yes I know I was in Spain but even "fresh" off the bread trucks they were as hard as rocks. Finally found nice ones - crusty on the outside, yummy on the inside - in Madrid.
 
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WHAT!! no starbucks??? kidding...but I think I will include some instant coffee in my pack if at all possible. I gotta have the java!
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
WHAT!! no starbucks??? kidding...but I think I will include some instant coffee in my pack if at all possible. I gotta have the java!
Patti,you will get gallons of the best coffee in the world in Spain.Trust me and the thousands of Cafe Con Leche fans.
 
I'm with Philip. The coffee in Spain is the best. Forget the instant...unless you need it at 5 in the morning when noplace is open.
 
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