Food on the camino

[scott]

Do some of the restaurants out there have a English language menu or is it easy enough to figure it out? I know a bit of Spanish to get me by. I sure dont want to go to some restaurant and get fed something that was frozen! That would piss me off! I want to experience the food out there not get some food that I could of gotten from McDonald's which in my opinion is gross! Any fast food for that matter! Is there a guide to some restaurants out there and what to order so that hat we wont get the frozen crap? I am a big boy and I can eat! Lol especially homemade food? Dont get in my way! Lol

 

[jeffrey r aitken]

If you are bringing a smartphone just download a translation app or 2...

 

[weekjchammings]

Do some of the restaurants out there have a English language menu or is it easy enough to figure it out? I know a bit of Spanish to get me by. I sure dont want to go to some restaurant and get fed something that was frozen! That would piss me off! I want to experience the food out there not get some food that I could of gotten from McDonald's which in my opinion is gross! Any fast food for that matter! Is there a guide to some restaurants out there and what to order so that hat we wont get the frozen crap? I am a big boy and I can eat! Lol especially homemade food? Dont get in my way! Lol

You don't need app's or smart phones , just be a little smart yourself and wherever possible eat where the locals eat. They have been going there possibly for many years and there is still a " pulse ".
Also be adventurous if you Spanish is like mine just point to any dish on the menu and say por favour, it has never failed me. Although the first time I ordered 3 milk coffee and one black coffee in my best Spanish I received....one black coffee and 3 PACHARAN.
Fantastic now I always have a PACHARAN or 2, try it yourself.
In Spain there is no need to eat any of the crap you mentioned, be adventurous and dive in and fill your boots the local foods are amazing.

Buen Camino...............Keith.

 

[scott]

Thanks guys for the info

 

[lynnejohn]

Not only do they often have English translation, they also often have pictures of the food. So if you're seriously Spanish-challenged, just point to the picture.

 

[StuartM]

The stuff you really dont want to eat will sound like it's English equivalent (hot dog, hamburguesa, etc).

If it is not obvious then it is probably good. That's been a general rule of travel eating for me that's worked over the years. Tourist traps are usually the ones with the most "helpful" menus. If the cook gets up and decides what to make based on what's in the garden or market that day then they wont have a multilingual preprinted menu with photographs. If the only menu is written in chalk on a board on the wall and you've no idea what it says then there is a good chance of a real treat.

The vague and undescriptive "pota asturiana" was a tremendous find last year.

 

[Kanga]

I suggest you eat the Menu del Dia. That's what the locals order. It's always available at lunch (2-4pm) except Sundays. It consists of 3 courses, bread and wine (or water if you prefer), it's usually good and it's cheap. And you help the local economy.

Once lunch finishes you can be sure any food available in a restaurant before 10pm is not going to be eaten by the locals.

Nowadays I steer clear of the "Menu del Peregrino".

I follow Spanish custom and have my main meal between 2 and 4 (straight after the shower/laundry routine) at a restaurant. Then just some salad, cheese, olives, bread and fruit or something else light at night in my accommodation. Or picnic - very pleasant on a summer evening.

 

[mspath]

I do as Kanga does. Here is a Forum list of pilgrims' choices for a good Menu del Dia

Of course some hospitaleros provide GREAT communal donativo meals; those at Eunate (unfortuantely now closed), Granon and the albergue Verde in Hospital de Orbigo have always been memorable feasts. Don't miss such delicious pleasure and be sure to donate adequately for it !!

Margaret Meredith

 

[angulero]

The vague and undescriptive "pota asturiana" was a tremendous find last year.

Pote asturiano.

I suggest you eat the Menu del Dia. That's what the locals order. It's always available at lunch (2-4pm) except Sundays. It consists of 3 courses, bread and wine (or water if you prefer), it's usually good and it's cheap. And you help the local economy.

También los domingos hay menú del día, aunque suelen costar un poco más que durante la semana, pero también suelen ser mejores.

Also on Sundays there is a daily menu, but usually cost a bit more during the week, but usually better.

 

[StuartM]

Pote asturiano.

Thanks! And duly noted

It is fantastic, that and some sidra is exactly what anyone needs for life in the Asturias mountains. Real hearty food. Sausage, black pudding and belly pork, wonderful. The little cafe above the Fontana market in Oviedo did a very good Pote.

Found purely by chance, I had just finished the Salvador, pointed to the menu... I ate the entire pot of pote they brought to the table. Probably terribly bad manners but it was good.

 

[angulero]

Thanks! And duly noted

It is fantastic, that and some sidra is exactly what anyone needs for life in the Asturias mountains. Real hearty food. Sausage, black pudding and belly pork, wonderful. The little cafe above the Fontana market in Oviedo did a very good Pote.

Found purely by chance, I had just finished the Salvador, pointed to the menu... I ate the entire pot of pote they brought to the table. Probably terribly bad manners but it was good.

Aquí se dice "con fabes y sidrina nun fai falta gasolina".

Lo que acompaña a la berza, el chorizo, la morcilla, el lacón, tocino, se llama "compango", y es lo marca la diferencia entre un buen pote y otro que no lo es tanto. Por eso, generalmente, podrás comer mejores potes en zonas rurales, donde posiblemente, esos chorizos y morcillas sean caseras. Por la zona de Tineo y Allande, por ejemplo, todavía se cría mucho cerdo en las zonas rurales para hacer embutidos caseros. En esas zonas, normalmente comerás buenos potes.


Here it says "with beans and cider do not need gas."

The accompanying cabbage, sausage, black pudding, ham, bacon, called "compango" and is what makes the difference between a good pote and another that is not so. So, generally, you can eat better potes in rural areas where possibly these are homemade sausages and black pudding. What's Near Tineo and Allande, for example, is still much pig farming in rural areas to make homemade sausages. In these areas, usually eat good pots.

 

[angie]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...ntists-say-boost-gut-bacteria-taste-good.html

Do some of the restaurants out there have a English language menu or is it easy enough to figure it out? I know a bit of Spanish to get me by. I sure dont want to go to some restaurant and get fed something that was frozen! That would piss me off! I want to experience the food out there not get some food that I could of gotten from McDonald's which in my opinion is gross! Any fast food for that matter! Is there a guide to some restaurants out there and what to order so that hat we wont get the frozen crap? I am a big boy and I can eat! Lol especially homemade food? Dont get in my way! Lol

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...ntists-say-boost-gut-bacteria-taste-good.html Im definitely using my translator to avoid this!!!

 

[koilife]

Are you suggesting that the sausages taste like s_____t?

<Sorry, very low hanging fruit, and I lack the self control to avoid it . . . >

 

[oursonpolaire]

Angulero is so right about the homemade sausage of Asturias. I recall taking a morsel of chorizo casero in a restaurant in Berducedo and the waitress was so taken by my delight at what was easily the best chorizo ever made on the planet, that she brought me in a full plate as an extra main course. I ate every bit. I fear that every dinner involved a bottle of sidra natural, which must be one of the best beverages I have ever consumed.

What Scott should do is simply learn the Spanish for those things he cannot or will not eat (for me it was tripe, brain, and oysters) and then just order away. The food of rural Spain is one of God's gifts to us and we should not ignore it.

 

[KinkyOne]

Do some of the restaurants out there have a English language menu or is it easy enough to figure it out? I know a bit of Spanish to get me by. I sure dont want to go to some restaurant and get fed something that was frozen! That would piss me off! I want to experience the food out there not get some food that I could of gotten from McDonald's which in my opinion is gross! Any fast food for that matter! Is there a guide to some restaurants out there and what to order so that hat we wont get the frozen crap? I am a big boy and I can eat! Lol especially homemade food? Dont get in my way! Lol

Hi there,

You might check my compilation of good forum members gastronomic experiences on CF in attached file.
Ultreia y buen provecho!

 

[scott]

Thank you kinky

 

[Mark Lee]

I'm a pretty big guy myself and can put away the chow, and had no problem finding good food on the Camino and not once did I have to eat at some commercialized fast-food type place.
The "menu of the day" and the "pilgrim's menu" usually are three-course affairs with wine or water and bread included. They vary in quality and quantity just like any restaurant anywhere. I never really had what I would consider a bad meal at any of them.
You can also go to a grocery store or small market type store and load up on fruit, bread, sausage, cheese, etc if you want a change of pace and prepare your own meal(s).
Some albergues have communal meals included or sometimes you pay a little extra for the meal. One small albergue I stayed in was run by a very charming couple and that night the wife made homemade paella and we all sat outside at tables and had dinner together. It was delicious, and definitely the best meal I had on the Camino. I was absolutely stuffed at the end of the meal, and had about half a bottle of red wine in me as well. Nice....
Plenty of good food in Spain.

 

[Al the optimist]

If you have the time to study why not get the LIghtfoot Guide "Camino Lingo" that our Sylvia co-authored with Reinette Novoa? It has all the language you will need for almost every situation including an extensive food section.

 

[biloute]

I've recently returned from 2 weeks in Spain (not my Camino) with a Spanish speaking friend who is originally from Mexico. There were many things on the menu hat she had no clue what they were, so a lot of the time we just ordered something without really knowing what it was. One time I ended up with venison (which she knew but didn't tell me) and it was delicious! So my advice, just be adventurous in tasting the gastronomy. You never really know what you might like unless you try it anyway.