Albergue kitchens

[shellypaul]

Hello fellow pilgrims! I have so many questions, but will focus on one that keeps nagging me. I realize that meals may be important to the pilgrim experience. But, even here at home I am not a fan of eating many meals out each week. So, the thought of eating out each day makes me nervous. Wondering who has used kitchens and are they widely available, and is it worth the trouble of buying or carrying your own food to prepare each day. Do I really need to carry a cook pot? Will arrive SJPP on Sept 7. Thank you in advance for any advice!

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Yes, there are many kitchens available and you can get the information from this forum which Albergues have them. Cooking pots and pans and not generally needed however I do recommend a decent little knife as the ones I found couldn't slice through butter sitting out in the midday Meseta sun...! I carry a little Swiss Army knife and always did fine for me. Is it all worth it? For my two cents, yes. The evenings when I met up with other like-minded Peregrinos and went to the store together and planned and meal together, cooked it and ate together with a nice bottle of wine were some of the most enriching nights on the Camino. Great camaraderie for sure. On the flip side though, some days after a long walk it could be tough to be motivated and those nights became the Menu del Peregrino nights!

 

[Gillean]

Yes, there are many kitchens available and you can get the information from this forum which Albergues have them. Cooking pots and pans and not generally needed however I do recommend a decent little knife as the ones I found couldn't slice through butter sitting out in the midday Meseta sun...! I carry a little Swiss Army knife and always did fine for me. Is it all worth it? For my two cents, yes. The evenings when I met up with other like-minded Peregrinos and went to the store together and planned and meal together, cooked it and ate together with a nice bottle of wine were some of the most enriching nights on the Camino. Great camaraderie for sure. On the flip side though, some days after a long walk it could be tough to be motivated and those nights became the Menu del Peregrino nights!

I agree completely with jozero although, as far as knives go, I am partial to the French Opinel No. 7 which is a simple but brilliant design which is light, locks open (and closed) using the twist collar and has a beautifully thin blade which is perfect for slicing and dicing everything from fruit to nuts. It's about 9 euros and available almost everywhere in Spain. Make sure it is an Opinel and not one of the cheap knock-off imitations though. Sadly it doesn't have a corkscrew although there is a larger version that does Light coloured handle, like this, is stainless steel (inox in Europe). Orangish coloured handle is carbon steel - which keeps a better edge but is prone to rusting and/or staining.

 

[shellypaul]

Thank you guys for the great information! I have a guidebook, have downloaded the lists of albergues but, it still seems a daunting task to do the planning which feels so necessary. Keeps me up some nights...lol

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Thank you guys for the great information! I have a guidebook, have downloaded the lists of albergues but, it still seems a daunting task to do the planning which feels so necessary. Keeps me up some nights...lol

Here's a great resource on the forum that shows all the albergues and whether or not they have a kitchen. Click here to go to the page to download the PDF that you can put on your smartphone. Once you have a rough idea then if you can get into a nice comfort zone, you can start winging it a bit so you don't need to have the stress of make a strict plan and sticking to it.

 

[Kanga]

As someone much wiser than me said, the essence of the camino is doing without the scaffolding that normally underpins our lives. It is so liberating to find that we can manage just fine with so little, not just in terms of things but also in terms of planning and goals and organisation. I have just come back from a camino. I was with some people who felt uncomfortable without booking ahead and planning each day, and others who allowed each day to unfold without making any plans or commitment or preparation. For myself I find the second so much easier, more fun, much less stressful and so satisfying.
You will find kitchens, you will find any equipment you need, and you will find supermarkets. Go without worry; it will all work out.

 

[marbuck]

I would not contemplate starting a Camino without a Swiss Army Knife. So many users.
(1) A very sharp blade that will easily cut most things- onions, tomato, salami, broken pack straps etc.
(2) A can opener.
(3) A corkscrew.

 

[shellypaul]

Kanga, thank you for sharing wise and kind words of encouragement.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You will find kitchens, but it is likely that all the cookware will have disappeared, particularly in Galicia. The Camino provides, but it may provide a restaurant!

 

[Mark Lee]

I wouldn't carry a cook pot, but as stated above a good knife, corkscrew and bottle opener are handy things. Maybe a backpacking cup and utensils as well.
The albergues with kitchens generally have a pretty good stock of plates, cups, bowls, utensils etc as well as a microwave in many of them. The kitchen can get pretty busy sometimes around dinner time as many other pilgrims prepare their own meals as well. Be it a group preparing a big dinner or solo pilgrims making a small meal. A lot of days when I did not feel like going out to eat, I would just go and buy what I needed for making a sandwich.
My favorite meals on the Camino were the ones prepared and shared with friends.
cheers and ultreia

 

[PeterD1951]

Why not compromise and head to the albergues that provide a communal meal. We finished our Camino 2 weeks ago today and the communal meals we had (apart from one really poor breakfast!) were all fine - excellent. Often better than the pilgrims menu in the local bars and all provided great company. Best pilgrim's menu, however, was in O'Pedrouzo. Can't remember the name of the bar though. We stayed just out of the town on the Santiago side. Walking into the town, it was the first bar on the right in the town proper.

 

[Diane Kinney]

Hi ShellyPaul, I have only walked from Leon to SdC and only cooked once or twice but we did go to grocery stores almost daily to buy fruit and yogurt for breakfast. Or hard sausage for lunch. Reduces the need to eat all three meals a day in cafes and restaurants. Some albergues we stayed at had great kitchens with lots of equipment (monastery in Sarria, Triacastela - Complex0 Xacbeco), others with good kitchens but no supplies (San Marco in Palas de Rei). Also enjoyed a great meal at the albergue in Herrerias. Many pilgrims cook and often invite others to join in. I was asked to join in at a few places but sadly just returned from a dinner out. Only small caution, I think in Palas de Rei the markets were closed Sunday (or at least late afternoon when we went to shop). I don't think it was siesta, I got the impression the all stores were closed Sundays in this town. Something to be aware of as this may apply in other places.
Buen Camino

 

[SusanReneGr65]

I'm with you on not wanting to eat out all the time.
We often had a quick coffee and some sort of pastry for breakfast, sometimes with yogurt which we bought with our lunch supplies. The spoons came in handy.
We had a pic-nic lunch everyday with whatever we could find, i.e. bread, cheese, fruit, tomatoes, salami, cookies. We used the knife to cut cheese and tomatoes. The Ziploc containers held leftover cheese (if there was any!).
We had a mix of restaurants and kitchens for supper. If we were cooking we made pasta with a bunch of veges and there was often leftovers. The Ziploc containers were handy for leftover pasta eaten cold the next day for lunch, with the forks.
Happy Eating!

 

[Mark Lee]

I'm with you on not wanting to eat out all the time.
We often had a quick coffee and some sort of pastry for breakfast, sometimes with yogurt which we bought with our lunch supplies. The spoons came in handy.
We had a pic-nic lunch everyday with whatever we could find, i.e. bread, cheese, fruit, tomatoes, salami, cookies. We used the knife to cut cheese and tomatoes. The Ziploc containers held leftover cheese (if there was any!).
We had a mix of restaurants and kitchens for supper. If we were cooking we made pasta with a bunch of veges and there was often leftovers. The Ziploc containers were handy for leftover pasta eaten cold the next day for lunch, with the forks.
Happy Eating!
View attachment 27530

That looks like the perfect, lightweight little kit for pilgrim's making their own meals. You got all the essentials in there.

 

[annakappa]

I agree completely with jozero although, as far as knives go, I am partial to the French Opinel No. 7 which is a simple but brilliant design which is light, locks open (and closed) using the twist collar and has a beautifully thin blade which is perfect for slicing and dicing everything from fruit to nuts. It's about 9 euros and available almost everywhere in Spain. Make sure it is an Opinel and not one of the cheap knock-off imitations though. Sadly it doesn't have a corkscrew although there is a larger version that does Light coloured handle, like this, is stainless steel (inox in Europe). Orangish coloured handle is carbon steel - which keeps a better edge but is prone to rusting and/or staining.

This is exactly the knife we buy as soon as we arrive in Spain, as we can't take a knife on board the plane. We never check in our packs. Once in Santiage, we give it to someone ( anyone).

 

[Bajaracer]

Opinel No.7, No.8, or No.10 with corkscrew for the ultimate Camino knife. If you plan on cooking your own meals, a good knife is a must.

When you get to an albergue with a functioning kitchen, ask the hospitalero what the previous pilgrims have left behind such as salt, pepper, spices, oil, and other leftover foodstuffs before you go shopping for food. You might be surprised what is left behind and you might not have to spend much to make an awesome meal.

 

[mspath]

For many earlier posts re albergue kitchens/camino cooking see this Forum thread.

Generally I don't cook on the camino. However walking in late autumn/winter I always carry basic rations since the only shop or bar in town may NOT be open! There is NO reason it should be open especially out of season!

Since each camino is not only a walk of thanksgiving, but also a test of personal tenacity and endurance I try to BE PREPARED.
Hence carried food basics include tea bags, packets which make a cup of soup (even including croutons!), firm cheese, small sausage, simple cookies and some chocolate. Nothing heavy but enough to exist for 24 hours if need be.

On past caminos especially during storms when stopping in small and remote albergues far from any supply source novice pilgrims have often staggered in wet, cold and hungry. They may have had the best gear but carried no food. Of course I shared; hot soup, a chunk of cheese and wedge of sausage can be ambrosia in such a setting. A smile returned by a new friend over a simple meal is one of the Camino's many joys.

Next morning after the tea, cookies and chocolate shared for a simple common breakfast we would set out together. At the first open shop those basics would be re-stocked and usually the other pilgrim(s) would buy necessary provisions in order to be prepared.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

And there are some refugios that have a lovely kitchen but won't let you cook in it - or has the Swiss refugio in Ponferrada eased up over the years?

 

[SYates]

And there are some refugios that have a lovely kitchen but won't let you cook in it - or has the Swiss refugio in Ponferrada eased up over the years?

They let us cook in 2014, but it really depends on the hospitaleros. Buen Camino, SY

PS. The reason why it is named after a Swiss Saint is that it was build with the help of a large donation of a Swiss pilgrim, but it is actually the albergue of the local Spanish parish (Basilica de la Encina) ;-)

 

[long trails]

My.main issue was trying to find decent food to cook. Small town supermarkets suck.

 

[SabsP]

My.main issue was trying to find decent food to cook. Small town supermarkets suck.

I beg to differ. We seem to have visited different tiendas. The small town supermarkets had all the necessities needed for a nice dinner. Well for me anyway : always some kind of pasta, an onion, a red bell pepper or some mushrooms, tomatoes and chorizo. Who needs anything else?

So no, small town supermarkets do not " suck ". The locals shop there and seem to manage fine.

 

[long trails]

The quality of the fresh produce was uniformally terrible, even in the main town Dia supermarkets etc.

Northern Spain has such a good climate to grow food so I don't understand.

 

[Tincatinker]

Que?

 

[SYates]

@long trails
We must have walked in different versions of Spain. The fresh produce I found even in tiny supermarkets was always superb. Buen Camino, SY

 

[SabsP]

The quality of the fresh produce was uniformally terrible, even in the main town Dia supermarkets etc.

Northern Spain has such a good climate to grow food so I don't understand.

Browsed your blog Long Trails.
http://longtrails.org/caminofrances/2016/06/
So sad to read you found the food " crap " and " too depressive to describe "... Well I can't change your sentiment of course. But please future pilgrims do not let some of the negative remarks colour your views of the food on the Camino.
Go local, visit the markets , go into the local bakeries and butcher shops...talk to the locals tending their gardens. Beautiful fresh produce.

 

[dougfitz]

The quality of the fresh produce was uniformally terrible, even in the main town Dia supermarkets etc.

Northern Spain has such a good climate to grow food so I don't understand.

Where did you walk? My wife and I consistently found wonderful fresh produce in the towns and larger villages, including at the chain supermarkets. Appearance might have been more variable in smaller places. For example, some stores were carrying stock that was starting to look a little old, and there was produce everywhere that didn't appear perfect inasmuch as it had growth imperfections. It reminded us that here in Australia we discard a substantial amount of perfectly good food because it doesn't meet some advertizing agency view of the perfect looking tomato, pear, peach or the like.

 

[long trails]

Maybe it's the time of year. Just giving my honest opinion. I am not a fan of tinned anything, but ended up buying tinned veg a lot of the time because the fresh stuff looked so bad.

 

[Albertagirl]

Although I am a vegetarian, I did not cook much, mostly because I did not want to carry much food, which quickly adds to the weight of a pack. I do not consider myself a fussy eater, but the quality of the produce was often poor, when the situation made it compulsory for me to cook if I wanted to eat. One example will suffice. I walked from Leon to Villar de Mazarife, hoping to stay at the Albergue San Antonio de Padua, which serves vegetarian meals and has a good reputation on the forum. It was closed for a few days, because of an infestation. I had heard that Tio Pepe, a second albergue in the village, had had problems with bed bugs. I would not stay there, but I tried to get a menu. There was no vegetarian option. That left only the Jesus albergue, where I would have to cook for myself. There were two small tiendas in the village, with very little produce in either. I bought a small and scruffy head of lettuce (what there was) and a few other items to make up a salad meal. I did not get sick, but I did not feel well after the meal either. I went on in the morning with nothing open to get any breakfast until Puente de Orbigo at 11 am. Verde was a relief for the next night: wonderful fresh vegetarian food and a clean and friendly environment. Well this is not serious. You take your chances when you travel, especially if on a diet which varies from what seems normal locally. And by this point it was late October/November. The night at the Jesus albergue was Hallowe'en, an odd experience as all the locals seemed to celebrate the occasion in the bar and the albergue was pretty closely attached. Fresh local produce may just have been out of season. Let me just say that I have no complaints about the food, given the price and the conditions under which I was living. But mostly, it wasn't great. I lost a lot of weight on the camino, and it wasn't all from over exertion. I wonder if better quality food may be available for those who have walked more than one camino and have better awareness of local conditions and where to shop and eat.

 

[dougfitz]

Maybe it's the time of year. Just giving my honest opinion. I am not a fan of tinned anything, but ended up buying tinned veg a lot of the time because the fresh stuff looked so bad.

I doubt it. We were walking less than a month before you. It's hard to imagine that you managed to find only stores selling unappealing produce, but having read your blog it appears that you probably gave it your best shot.

 

[SabsP]

Although I am a vegetarian, I did not cook much, mostly because I did not want to carry much food, which quickly adds to the weight of a pack. I do not consider myself a fussy eater, but the quality of the produce was often poor, when the situation made it compulsory for me to cook if I wanted to eat. One example will suffice. I walked from Leon to Villar de Mazarife, hoping to stay at the Albergue San Antonio de Padua, which serves vegetarian meals and has a good reputation on the forum. It was closed for a few days, because of an infestation. I had heard that Tio Pepe, a second albergue in the village, had had problems with bed bugs. I would not stay there, but I tried to get a menu. There was no vegetarian option. That left only the Jesus albergue, where I would have to cook for myself. There were two small tiendas in the village, with very little produce in either. I bought a small and scruffy head of lettuce (what there was) and a few other items to make up a salad meal. I did not get sick, but I did not feel well after the meal either. I went on in the morning with nothing open to get any breakfast until Puente de Orbigo at 11 am. Verde was a relief for the next night: wonderful fresh vegetarian food and a clean and friendly environment. Well this is not serious. You take your chances when you travel, especially if on a diet which varies from what seems normal locally. And by this point it was late October/November. The night at the Jesus albergue was Hallowe'en, an odd experience as all the locals seemed to celebrate the occasion in the bar and the albergue was pretty closely attached. Fresh local produce may just have been out of season. Let me just say that I have no complaints about the food, given the price and the conditions under which I was living. But mostly, it wasn't great. I lost a lot of weight on the camino, and it wasn't all from over exertion. I wonder if better quality food may be available for those who have walked more than one camino and have better awareness of local conditions and where to shop and eat.

Also be aware that some small shops/tiendas ,especially in the smaller villages ,don't have obvious signs/ billboards indicating it is a shop. They look like a regular house with a curtain in front of the door and sometimes you have to ring the bell. The bigger cities with their Mercado Central : now that is just sheer heaven for me! Freshness at it's best. Like this one in Pamplona!
http://www.mercadosantodomingo.com/