Bring mayonnaise

[Damien Reynolds]

So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.

Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.

Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.

So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.

I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.

If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.

 

[KJFSophie]

So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.

Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.

Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.

So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.

I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.

If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.

YES!! The dry bocadillo ( some worse than others )...I collected little jelly/jam/preserves packets at breakfast to spread on the sandwich...some combos were surprisingly good with the ham and cheese...apple jelly was rather tasty and dutifully prevented that awful " dry bocadillo stuck in your chest feeling" Thanks for tip on hoarding mayo

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

And don't forget the packets of yellow mustard (the stuff with tumeric). Currently there is only anecdotal evidence but people swear that sucking some out of the packet will ease leg cramps in minutes. Peg was complaining about cramps and a passing hiker gave her two packets. Really, she was better in minutes.

If you don't believe it carry some anyway. I also hear it can be used as a condiment.

 

[dougfitz]

I will betray my origin, but I always carry a tube of that wonderful elixir, Vegemite. Better applied on top of butter (or margarine) but still a wonderful improvement over bare bread!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I will betray my origin, but I always carry a tube of that wonderful elixir, Vegemite.

 

[henrythedog]

Tube of Coleman’s English mustard. Renders pretty much anything edible.

 

[Kanga]

There seems to be some evidence that vitamin B does help with leg cramps. So Vegemite is not such a crazy idea.

What a choice - hot English mustard or Vegemite!

 

[Albertagirl]

I am of two minds on carrying mayonnaise. I suppose that small sealed packets might be safe, and would be desirable on a dry bocadillo. I have two past experiences in mind: carrying a small jar of mayonnaise on a long train ride (several days) which I blame for going bad and giving me a severe case of stomach upset. And on a camino several years ago eating a cheese bocadillo so dry that it broke a tooth and I decided to skip a camino walk the next year to spend all my spare cash getting needed dental work done. I suspect that mustard is safer.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

And don't forget the packets of yellow mustard (the stuff with tumeric). Currently there is only anecdotal evidence but people swear that sucking some out of the packet will ease leg cramps in minutes. Peg was complaining about cramps and a passing hiker gave her two packets. Really, she was better in minutes.

If you don't believe it carry some anyway. I also hear it can be used as a condiment.

I thought it would be too greedy to ask for mustard too.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I am of two minds on carrying mayonnaise. I suppose that small sealed packets might be safe, and would be desirable on a dry bocadillo. I have two past experiences in mind: carrying a small jar of mayonnaise on a long train ride (several days) which I blame for going bad and giving me a severe case of stomach upset. And on a camino several years ago eating a cheese bocadillo so dry that it broke a tooth and I decided to skip a camino walk the next year to spend all my spare cash getting needed dental work done. I suspect that mustard is safer.

Packets are like sealed.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Ok, so it appears we all agree on at least one thing: bocadillos are dry af. Must learn to order and pack appropriately.

 

[domigee]

What are you like Reminds me of friends of mine (British) bringing their own potatoes to France, cos the local ones weren’t quite right
Thanks for that post, made my day

 

[pasiño a pasiño]

or just skip the dry Bocadillo and inhale some healthy food or just some what you actually like??!! lol....instead of trying to dilute the original taste with mayonnaise and their unhealthy sugar containing friends....

que aproveche

 

[domigee]

I am of two minds on carrying mayonnaise. I suppose that small sealed packets might be safe, and would be desirable on a dry bocadillo. I have two past experiences in mind: carrying a small jar of mayonnaise on a long train ride (several days) which I blame for going bad and giving me a severe case of stomach upset. And on a camino several years ago eating a cheese bocadillo so dry that it broke a tooth and I decided to skip a camino walk the next year to spend all my spare cash getting needed dental work done. I suspect that mustard is safer.

You can buy those packets of mayonesa in Spain! In any supermarket
i’m French and I’m fussy… Honestly it’s ok

 

[Damien Reynolds]

or just skip the dry Bocadillo and inhale some healthy food or just some what you actually like??!! lol....instead of trying to dilute the original taste with mayonnaise and their unhealthy sugar containing friends....

que aproveche

Yah. Totally. When available.

 

[Former member 99816]

Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry.
So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.
I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.
If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.

Good info. Dang. Dry bread sandwiches... life as we know it, overturned. Tell me the beer is cold, at least.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Good info. Dang. Dry bread sandwiches... life as we know it, overturned. Tell me the beer is cold, at least.

It’s cold and cheap.

 

[Stephan the Painter]

There’s just some countries that make good sandwiches, and some that don’t. When I lived in the Netherlands anybody who would taste a sandwich I had made would tell me I should open a restaurant.
Although, I confess even in the states people are impressed by my sandwiches. I attribute my success to reading the Dagwood comic strip when I was a small child….
@Damien Reynolds , Actually, I’m glad you posted this. I will bring a little tube of some condiments along.

 

[Barbara]

Just take a little bottle of olive oil.

 

[Albertagirl]

I think that the only issue with bocadillos is that they are sometimes the only food available in a bar in Spain when a pilgrim arrives there outside of meal times, or when the bar does not normally prepare meals. This is just part of walking the pilgrim roads in Spain, when full information about every possible place to eat along the way is not always available. Those of us who walk the caminos must try to take this in our stride. Maybe I should have squeezed the bocadillo a bit, to discover that the only way it could be eaten that would not risk losing teeth would be to discretely dip it in a hot drink and wait for it to soften.

 

[dougfitz]

I am of two minds on carrying mayonnaise. I suppose that small sealed packets might be safe

My right brain went into overdrive here. Unsealed jar - shelf life outside of a fridge might be a day or so. Sealed sachets - shelf life of many months, perhaps a couple of years. I think the sachets would be fine!!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I am a lover of mayonnaise on sandwiches more than any other condiment and never thought to bring any small packets. Great idea!
One small tip...if the crusty top on your bocadilla bread nearly cuts the roof of your mouth when taking a bite, just eat it upside down; it makes all the difference.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Just take a little bottle of olive oil.

And olive oil is more common than mayonnaise and often available in the bars, so if someone doesn't want to carry extra weight, asking for olive oil on the bocadillo might work, too!

(It's not even 5am and I have to go to work in a few minutes but now I want a bocadillo with olive oil and tortilla )

 

[Tassie Kaz]

So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.

Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.

Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.

So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.

I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.

If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.

Ha ha... you're a character @Damien Reynolds!
I always carry the little salt & pepper sachets as well...you never know when you'll have a saltless chippie &/or potato emergency or something a bit on the bland side crying out for some peppery zing!

 

[Tassie Kaz]

I will betray my origin, but I always carry a tube of that wonderful elixir, Vegemite. Better applied on top of butter (or margarine) but still a wonderful improvement over bare bread!

Fly the flag @dougfitz!
If you haven't been to a hotel brekky to snaffle the individual Vegie portions, you can now buy them in a pack of 10 from Woolies & Coles. Lighter to carry plus you don't get that watery squirt from the tube..you can't exactly shake Vegemite & they have to make it squeezable!
Ah, the solutions we find for when we're far from home....

 

[VNwalking]

might

Might?
It's delicious!

I will betray my origin

Hmmm.
NZ Marmite is better.

But yes. Both are delicious on hot toast with butter. Good to know there is some redeeming virtue.

But in Spain? Olive oil, salt, and La Dalia pimenton. The best toast in the world.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.

Much depends on the exact type of bread they use -- if it's a better type, it often doesn't really matter if it's dry.

If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.

I would warn against bringing mayo into the EU from outside -- since Brexit, they've been a lot more finicky about food imports than they used to be.

If mayo is important to you, then just get some in a French, Spanish, Portuguese shop -- the French at least sell it in "toothpaste" tubes, handy for pilgrims provided the top can be solidly closed !!

However : the usual custom in France is, say for a ham sandwich, ask for a jambon-beurre instead of just jambon, and they'll butter it (so learn the word beurre) -- they do use mayonnaise in their beef sandwiches though, and some of their more complicated ones with salad fillings. Just don't ever ask for butter or mayo if it's a camembert sandwich though !!

In Spain, a little olive oil instead, so ask for that (aceite) -- so “jamón con tomate, queso y aceite”.

 

[pepi]

This is the thread of the true gourmets! OMG. No wonder the food culture on the Camino is less than ambitious. Why would our Spanish hosts even try? Most peregrinos seem to be content with chips, ketchup, frozen pizza, and the unspeakable Peregrino menus as long as it's cheap.
The minority, for whom life is too short to bother with junk food, find the good stuff after 9 p.m., but with the disadvantage (is it really?) of being mostly lonely among Spanish diners.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Most peregrinos seem to be content with chips, ketchup, frozen pizza, and the unspeakable Peregrino menus as long as it's cheap.

I never asked for ketchup, never ate a pizza on the Camino, frozen or otherwise, and steered clear of most of the paella as I'd heard it often was poured out of a bag. I had plenty of decent Peregrino meals and Menu del dias. I know little Spanish to order something different, nor want to continually pay more for more expensive meals. I was appreciative of a three course hot meal at the end of the day, and most everything was quite edible for the price.

 

[pepi]

I never asked for ketchup, never ate a pizza on the Camino, frozen or otherwise, and steered clear of most of the paella as I'd heard it often was poured out of a bag. I had plenty of decent Peregrino meals and Menu del dias. I know little Spanish to order something different, nor want to continually pay more for more expensive meals. I was appreciative of a three course hot meal at the end of the day, and most everything was quite edible for the price.

Chrissy, you're completely right, paella in northern Spain comes almost exclusively in the deep-frozen factory-made variety. You are on track but come on, be just a bit more curious! Don't be afraid to inquire: To pick up some Spanish words and to try out new things is so enriching and rarely disappointing.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Don't be afraid to inquire: To pick up some Spanish words and to try out new things is so enriching and rarely disappointing.

I'm sure you are right, Pepi. If I improved my Spanish, I would have opportunity for more variety and possibly not pay too much more.

P.S. The only meal I struggled with was on the Primitivo. It was a meat stew that included rabbit heads with their little white teeth in tact....a bit off piste and I've digressed.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The only meal I struggled with was on the Primitivo. It was a meat stew that included rabbit heads with their little white teeth in tact.

Mayonnaise, mustard and Vegemite won't help there. Maybe you can bring a tube of toothpaste.

 

[pepi]

I'm sure you are right, Pepi. If I improved my Spanish, I would have opportunity for more variety and possibly not pay too much more.

P.S. The only meal I struggled with was on the Primitivo. It was a meat stew that included rabbit heads with their little white teeth in tact....a bit off piste and I've digressed.

Rabbit stew can be an absolute highlight along the Camino, just order it "sin cabeza y menudillos" next time, with a glass of Rioja Crianza, I'd go double distance

 

[jsalt]

I'm another who always orders olive oil in, or with, my boccadillo.

 

[Paul McAmino]

I have carried a little jar of roasted piquillo peppers for this very reason. They’re almost universally available and the brine/oil mix they’re in will soften a bocadillo of hard bread and three-day-old manchego, and add some flavor to the whole thing.
I’ve also carried rioja to help me through this darkness.

All the best,
Paul

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I'm another who always orders olive oil in, or with, my boccadillo.

Olive oil would definitely be my second choice...I love it on many things.

 

[Former member 92300]

Or... just go with the "When in Spain...." flow. I hate dry bocadilla sandwiches, but the thought of carrying extra packets of mayo because of a fear of dry sandwiches is just too much for me. I already weight everything I own to eliminate any unnecessary extra weight haha.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

on a camino several years ago eating a cheese bocadillo so dry that it broke a tooth

One might as well gnaw at the sidewalk...!

 

[Former member 92300]

This is the thread of the true gourmets! OMG. No wonder the food culture on the Camino is less than ambitious. Why would our Spanish hosts even try? Most peregrinos seem to be content with chips, ketchup, frozen pizza, and the unspeakable Peregrino menus as long as it's cheap.
The minority, for whom life is too short to bother with junk food, find the good stuff after 9 p.m., but with the disadvantage (is it really?) of being mostly lonely among Spanish diners.

Really. I don't know about everyone else, but I walked last summer in the early days of reopening the Camino to tourists. Most mornings I was lucky to find ANY food before 9am unless I had breakfast at the albergue I stayed at (and I can't bring myself to eat before I have been awake for an hour or more). Even after 9am, the bars that were open later in the morning, they were few and far between. And the small supermarkets stores? They never seemed to be open as I passed through a town. When I did find a bar, believe me - I was very grateful if the only thing they were serving was a dry bocadilla, chips, or frozen pizza! As for that good after 9pm food... most of the albergues I stayed in locked their doors at 10pm, nothing like eating dinner moments before going to sleep! (Rolling my eyes here). Anyhow - my point is, I was simply grateful for the food that WAS available, even if it was chips, ketchup, frozen pizza, and the unspeakable Peregrino menus. Oh... and I also found that my body was totally craving salt - so those chips were so good - as my body needed the extra sodium to help me retain the water I needed. But don't worry - I did indulge i the "finer foods" when the opportunities arose.

 

[Anniesantiago]

And don't forget the packets of yellow mustard (the stuff with tumeric). Currently there is only anecdotal evidence but people swear that sucking some out of the packet will ease leg cramps in minutes. Peg was complaining about cramps and a passing hiker gave her two packets. Really, she was better in minutes.

If you don't believe it carry some anyway. I also hear it can be used as a condiment.

It does work for cramps for me!

 

[Camineiro]

Why not dripping a bit of olive oil onto the bread?
It‘s available in any retaurant/bar and very tasty.
And even more healthy than mayonnaise …

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

When I wrote my original post about mustard for cramps (post #3) I tried to find an article I had read by or about the doctors mentioned below but I couldn't find it. I still can't but I've gotten one worth quoting and linking to.

When Peg was cured so fast I was skeptical thinking about how long it would take for digestion to work. The theory of how things work so fast at relieving cramps (unproven as far as I know) is quickly given.

Mustard or pickle juice. ... In fact, the pickle juice preventive has become a staple among athletes who want to avoid being sidelined by cramps. ... Scientists think the foods might stimulate ion channels in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach to send signals to the central nervous system that inactivate overexcited neurons.

HotShot . This 1.7-ounce dose of cinnamon, ginger, lime juice, sweeteners, and capsaicin (the active compound in chili peppers) was developed by Dr. [Bruce] Bean and Dr. Rod MacKinnon, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry at Rockefeller University, as a remedy for cramping during rigorous exercise. It works along the same principle as mustard and pickle juice, but has longer-lasting effects.

Is there hope for leg cramp sufferers? - Harvard Health

Quinine, the best-established therapy for leg cramps, can have serious side effects. Evidence is weaker for leg stretches, vitamin B complex, and diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor XR)....

www.health.harvard.edu

 

[Peregrina 2013]

And here I am loving my bocadillos as they are! Doesn't matter if it's jamón ibérico, chorizo or tortilla, I like them all without any added ingredients Olive oil is an added tasty bonus, for sure!

 

[Richmond Gardner]

And olive oil is more common than mayonnaise and often available in the bars, so if someone doesn't want to carry extra weight, asking for olive oil on the bocadillo might work, too!

(It's not even 5am and I have to go to work in a few minutes but now I want a bocadillo with olive oil and tortilla )

Credit to you and @Barbara on this topic. I made a habit of asking for olive oil, when ordering a bocadillo… it was a great solution and did not require packing mayo or some other oil

 

[naplesdon]

My German neighbor saw my jar of mayonnaise and asked, "What do you do with that glop?"
In France, the Parisian ham usually goes best with butter, then when you get down close to the Spanish border and it is Jamon Bayonne and Jamon Iberico I think the locals would be greatly offended if they saw you debasing their prized cured ham.

 

[Lurch]

Heck with the Mayo, I need hot sauce! Raid the local Taco Bell for the extra hot stuff afore I go. Also bring jalapeño salt. Now if I could just convince them to make enchiladas, all would be perfect!

 

[oursonpolaire]

Heck with the Mayo, I need hot sauce! Raid the local Taco Bell for the extra hot stuff afore I go. Also bring jalapeño salt. Now if I could just convince them to make enchiladas, all would be perfect!

You might want to try the pilgrimage to Guadelupe should Mexican food be a priority. I would suggest the little tins of pimenton for a dark and smoky spiciness, or perhaps just order pimentos de padron wherever you might go.

Generally, I find a little olive oil the best available condiment-- as I make my own mayonnaise, I am reluctant to enter into the land of condiments with chemicals. However, I am careful around bocadillos, as I am now of an age where I want to avoid need of further dental implants.

As I normally stay in private accommodations, breakfast when available will often have little dishes of crushed tomato for one's chunk of bread, and the well-fatted jamon will help provide the bread softening one might like. Like @pepi I try to avoid the pre-prepared food world and should I need a blast of nourishment, opt for a plato combinado or a bit of tortilla. I like the evening menu de dia and, having adjusted to the 9 am feeding time (I always come at 8 and watch the staff, puzzled with my early appearance, turn on the lights and set my table). While the other diners are usually Spanish, I am satisfied in knowing that the appearance of a pilgrim in the restaurant will give them a topic of conversation for hours. And the food is usually pretty good, with no ketchup.

 

[Albertagirl]

I am careful around bocadillos, as I am now of an age where I want to avoid need of further dental implants.

Me too, now.

 

[Terrri]

If you haven't tried google translate yet, practice saying bocadillo in Spanish to see what the Spanish are possibly hearing you say. You might want to order something else. I thought my pronunciation was fine but apparently google translate doesn't agree.

 

[Former member 92300]

You might want to try the pilgrimage to Guadelupe should Mexican food be a priority. I would suggest the little tins of pimenton for a dark and smoky spiciness, or perhaps just order pimentos de padron wherever you might go.

LOL... at one time I might have agreed with this statement - however I have just spent the past 17 years living 20 minutes drive to the Mexican border. With that - the dining culture around me involves a LOT of hot sauce and hot salsa, as it does in several areas of the West/Southwestern USA. For most people around me - the addiction to the heat is real and many of my friends cannot seem to dine without adding hot sauce or hot salsa to just about everything they eat! LOL Even my taste buds have slowly changed. I used to be a firm "mild" salsa girl. I have now shifted my taste buds into a solid "medium" and am beginning to appreciate a little more "hot". I am not at the point where I carry a bottle of hot sauce everywhere I go... but I am starting to understand why others do haha.

 

[Schamber]

My Mayo, mustard, and hot sauce packets are all packed!!!

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Friends, I never even thought of olive oil! I think that is a great idea, especially when I don’t have mayo to share with any new found friends in a little bar that only serves bocadillos.

Now, as far as pizza goes… bring little packets of hot peppers because they don’t have that either… : ). But when they do have that pepper infused olive oil omg it’s awesome!

 

[naplesdon]

I have never not seen olive oil infused with peppers.

 

[SabsP]

I have never not seen olive oil infused with peppers.

That is indeed more an Italian thing.
BTW lots of so called extra virgin Italian olive oil is in fact Andalucian one, but that is a whole other subject.

 

[Annette london]

What are you like Reminds me of friends of mine (British) bringing their own potatoes to France, cos the local ones weren’t quite right
Thanks for that post, made my day

And what about tea bags!

I bring my own otherwise I’d have to use about 10 Spanish tea bags for a decent cup of tea!
Then I get a pile of those little milk sachets on the flight and at breakfast when everyone is drinking coffee I get boiling water and hey presto, cuppa tea
And a useless bit of information here ….us Irish come second globally for tea drinking …..Turkey beats us on that one!

 

[Jackieduda]

So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.

Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.

Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.

So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.

I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.

If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.

I gotta say, the title of this post made me laugh, and i knew what it meant immediately. You must be American. We do love our mayo!

 

[oursonpolaire]

LOL... at one time I might have agreed with this statement - however I have just spent the past 17 years living 20 minutes drive to the Mexican border. With that - the dining culture around me involves a LOT of hot sauce and hot salsa, as it does in several areas of the West/Southwestern USA. For most people around me - the addiction to the heat is real and many of my friends cannot seem to dine without adding hot sauce or hot salsa to just about everything they eat! LOL Even my taste buds have slowly changed. I used to be a firm "mild" salsa girl. I have now shifted my taste buds into a solid "medium" and am beginning to appreciate a little more "hot". I am not at the point where I carry a bottle of hot sauce everywhere I go... but I am starting to understand why others do haha.

I recall meeting the uncle of a Nortocarolina friend who had just retired from a time as a lifer in the US Navy, where he worked as a cook for many years (when he enlisted as an unlettered black man, he thought it would give him training for start in civilian life and stayed for 20+). We were discussing the changes he had seen over the years and he said that the most remarkable in navy messrooms were twofold-- greatly increased vegetable consumption, and an addiction to hot sauce. When he started, there was a bottle or two available, but by the time he retired, each table had a condiment caddy with a choice of a half dozen hot sauces. It's the minority kids, he told me-- while they were excellent service people, they seemed to be fuelled by hot sauce, and now everybody loves it.
He was interested in learning about Spanish food and took notes, as apparently he still had some access to military flights to a base in Spain.... If you see a middle-aged n African American enquiring after pimientos de padron.....

 

[henrythedog]

There seems to be some evidence that vitamin B does help with leg cramps. So Vegemite is not such a crazy idea.

What a choice - hot English mustard or Vegemite!

they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive!

I’m a Vegemite addict also, having worked with a team of Aussies in the distant past. It may be apocryphal, but they told me the national obsession was started through Vegemite being supplied free of charge for inclusion in ANZAC ration packs in WWll.

It’s currently included in British Army rations, but as unbranded ‘yeast spread’ along with a tiny bottle of super-hot chilli sauce.

 

[SeñorJacques]

As a New Orleanian, the prospect of being anywhere without regular and plentiful access to hot sauce is actively worrisome to me. Fortunately, Tabasco comes in easy-to-transport individual serving packets!

Amazon.com : Tabasco Hot Sauce Packets - 3 gram (Pack of 50) : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Amazon.com : Tabasco Hot Sauce Packets - 3 gram (Pack of 50) : Grocery & Gourmet Food

www.amazon.com

 

[henrythedog]

And what about tea bags!

I bring my own otherwise I’d have to use about 10 Spanish tea bags for a decent cup of tea!
Then I get a pile of those little milk sachets on the flight and at breakfast when everyone is drinking coffee I get boiling water and hey presto, cuppa tea
And a useless bit of information here ….us Irish come second globally for tea drinking …..Turkey beats us on that one!

I had a great uncle who parachuted into France on the night of D-Day with a unit which had a contingent of Irish extraction. He had only just got his harness off when a Sergeant with an Irish accent handed him a strong cup of tea. He must have lit the stove on the way down!

 

[Former member 22438]

the best habit , Spanish do and I know as I worked for some time in Spain is ask for some toasted bread in a restaurant, ask for a piece of garlic, some olive oil and some sea salt.
rub the toast in with the garlic, Spread som salt in a some oil amd dip your toast in the salty oil. Delicious.

 

[CaminoKatie]

My right brain went into overdrive here. Unsealed jar - shelf life outside of a fridge might be a day or so. Sealed sachets - shelf life of many months, perhaps a couple of years. I think the sachets would be fine!!

My sentiments exactly! An unrefrigerated open jar of mayonnaise? Hold on... you're going for a ride! lol

 

[Former member 99816]

Thank you all for killing my dream of 40 days and 40 nights of tacos. Now I don't want to go

 

[SabsP]

the best habit , Spanish do and I know as I worked for some time in Spain is ask for some toasted bread in a restaurant, ask for a piece of garlic, some olive oil and some sea salt.
rub the toast in with the garlic, Spread som salt in a some oil amd dip your toast in the salty oil. Delicious.

Second best habit...always follow local families when they go for their Sunday lunch!

 

[pepi]

OK, since this thread seems to be the right one for my coming out, so be it.
The one thing I hesitate to order in Spain is pasta. They basically use the same kind as in Italy and have fantastic tomatoes (The best I ever ate are grown in Astorga) How come that in spite of the good ingredients, and although cooking is so simple, they rarely manage to prepare a decent plate of al dente pasta with fresh and tasty sauce?
I am so grateful therefore to find an albergue or a restaurant generous enough to let me do my own pasta, and I always cook plenty; the fragrant smell never fails to attract fellow peregrinos. (Last year, a restaurant in Hornillos del Camino let me use their kitchen on the condition that they sell the other 9 out of the 10 raciones to the other guests, mostly peregrinos, charging them 9.50 Euro) Unfortunately, for lack of Guanciale in Spain (why???) my most favored PASTA ALLA GRICIA

cannot even be cooked DIY. Maybe I should open a spaghetteria along the Camino?

 

[Stephan the Painter]

The minority, for whom life is too short to bother with junk food, find the good stuff after 9 p.m., but with the disadvantage (is it really?) of being mostly lonely among Spanish diners.

I’m looking forward to the later Spanish meal times. I feel like I’m stuck in a culture where everybody eats too early. At home, I’m often eating dinner at 10 o’clock. Now if those darn Albergues wouldn’t close so early, or throw you out so early….

 

[Lydia Le]

I prefer to "wet" my dry sandwich with wine

 

[pepi]

I prefer to "wet" my dry sandwich with wine

How about "dry sandwich with wine" without the sandwich?

 

[Stephan the Painter]

I prefer to "wet" my dry sandwich with wine

That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard so far! Also dipping cookies or sweetbreads into a heavy red is fantastic.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Thank you all for killing my dream of 40 days and 40 nights of tacos. Now I don't want to go

I know you are being funny. I respect that. Tacos no son de espana. More like a North/Central American thing I suspect. Heck, their definition of “tortilla” is soooo different than ours. But it’s soooo good at the same time.

Now it would pain me severely if “my trying to be funny” post prevented you from enjoying the experience. It’s not really a big deal. You’ll survive without tacos and mayo. And you’ll cherish the experience for the rest of your life.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Jeez, guys. We have tobasco in Spain, and Sriracha. And mayonnaise, and tons of olive oil (it's "aceite." If you ask for "olio" you might get margarine!) Bocadillos are by definition made on a loaf of bread; if it's a sandwich you want, you can order those too -- (prounced like "sang-weesh") they come on toasted "bimbo" bread, the white stuff Americans love so... and most snack places serve the basic ham & cheese (sandwich mixto) or my big favorite: Sandwich Vegetal. When done well, these boys have asparagus, lettuce, tomato, tuna, boiled egg, onion, and MAYO! I don't do bocadillos much, but when I do I get one with Tortilla Frances (a regular French omelette) and red peppers. I can also recommend lomo adobado with cheese and tomato -- a bocadillo fit for a king.
Don't settle for Pilgrim Menus or Platos Combinados -- ofthen they're made with frozen or low-quality ingredients. Go instead for the Menu del Dia, or get a Racion of the local speciality and a glass of vino. You can't go wrong with grilled sardines!

 

[Albertagirl]

I am looking forward to enjoying Sandwich Vegetal on my next pilgrimage in Spain, preferably "sin atun".

 

[SeñorJacques]

Jeez, guys. We have tobasco in Spain, and Sriracha. And mayonnaise, and tons of olive oil (it's "aceite." If you ask for "olio" you might get margarine!)

I suspected this might be the case! Thanks for the confirmation. (I still like to travel with a few travel packets of Tabasco for culinary emergencies though, particularly on road trips through the American midwest.)

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@Rebekah Scott, if anyone would know about Spanish food along the Camino, it would certainly be you! Your fave Sandwich Vegetal sounds like the Salad Mixta between slices of bread.
This thread has evolved into what we all enjoy talking and salivating about...food!

 

[Damien Reynolds]

Jeez, guys. We have tobasco in Spain, and Sriracha. And mayonnaise, and tons of olive oil (it's "aceite." If you ask for "olio" you might get margarine!) Bocadillos are by definition made on a loaf of bread; if it's a sandwich you want, you can order those too -- (prounced like "sang-weesh") they come on toasted "bimbo" bread, the white stuff Americans love so... and most snack places serve the basic ham & cheese (sandwich mixto) or my big favorite: Sandwich Vegetal. When done well, these boys have asparagus, lettuce, tomato, tuna, boiled egg, onion, and MAYO! I don't do bocadillos much, but when I do I get one with Tortilla Frances (a regular French omelette) and red peppers. I can also recommend lomo adobado with cheese and tomato -- a bocadillo fit for a king.
Don't settle for Pilgrim Menus or Platos Combinados -- ofthen they're made with frozen or low-quality ingredients. Go instead for the Menu del Dia, or get a Racion of the local speciality and a glass of vino. You can't go wrong with grilled sardines!

Wait. I can order a sandwich on white bread? never knew that.

 

[trecile]

Thank you all for killing my dream of 40 days and 40 nights of tacos. Now I don't want to go

I went to a Mexican restaurant in Spain (in Santiago) once and ordered tacos. I can tell you that once was enough!

As a confirmed mayo-phobe, this entire discussion is making me

I rarely ever eat bocadillos in Spain - they are definitely a last resort food for me, but the next time I do I will ask for aceite de oliva.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I fully dislike American white Bimbo bread.

 

[Marcus-UK]

I will betray my origin, but I always carry a tube of that wonderful elixir, Vegemite. Better applied on top of butter (or margarine) but still a wonderful improvement over bare bread!

I prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.

 

[mattythedog]

There seems to be some evidence that vitamin B does help with leg cramps. So Vegemite is not such a crazy idea.

What a choice - hot English mustard or Vegemite!

Get a bottle of leg cramp pills from Walmart. If I get a cramp, put under tongue and cramps go away in 30 seconds. Been using them for many years. I have also been taking vitamin B 100 for many years, but still get occasional cramps after a long bike ride

 

[Paladina]

My German neighbor saw my jar of mayonnaise and asked, "What do you do with that glop?"

Desecrate wholesome food with sunset yellow gloop! Now I understand why so many pilgrims are anxious to return to Santiago: to do penance for food crimes committed on their last camino.

 

[Tincatinker]

I prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.

Nah, that’s just another of those stories. Like the classic response to Australian border control’s question “Do you have a criminal record?” “Is it still compulsory?”
Unilever even pack their yeast extract in plastic, cabin luggage friendly, security control friendly sizes, these days.

 

[jsalt]

I prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.

Definitely not this one

 

[Stivandrer]

" ils sont fou, les Pèlerins..."

 

[jsalt]

I prefer Marmite but I believe it is illegal to import it to some Southern Hemisphere countries.

We had prohibition during covid (I kid you not), and now there is NO marmite in the shops, as they needed the yeast from the brewers to make it. Help!

 

[jsalt]

ease leg cramps in minutes

For coffee drinkers, ease back to one or two cups a day. Too much coffee was giving me leg cramps at night. I am now cramp-free after suffering for two years almost every night.

 

[Tincatinker]

We had prohibition during covid (I kid you not), and now there is NO marmite in the shops, as they needed the yeast from the brewers to make it. Help!

I’m drinking as much beer as I can. Anyone who wants to join me in The Old Star is welcome to assist.

 

[Bradypus]

I’m drinking as much beer as I can. Anyone who wants to join me in The Old Star is welcome to assist.

To keep me remembering my last Camino and thinking about my next one I am sipping at my homemade patxaran this evening. Lots of sloes went into it so it must be packed with vitamins. Definitely medicinal anyway

 

[SabsP]

I’m drinking as much beer as I can. Anyone who wants to join me in The Old Star is welcome to assist.

Deal!
Next time you can come over to my local. Believe it or not but it is called " Elstar"....
Brugse Zot on tap at the moment.

 

[KJFSophie]

Having just had a major surgical procedure on my esophagus and GI this past July, I plan to stay far far away from dry, crusty bread and will tote fruit if the markets are open. I've often found myself eating potato chips for salt, Fanta naranja for sugar, Tonica for leg cramps and eggs when I found them... None of which I ever eat at home!
It's all about making do with what's available in the moment and a tiny bit of planning ahead.

 

[Tincatinker]

Deal!
Next time you can come over to my local. Believe it or not but it is called " Elstar"....
Brugse Zot on tap at the moment.

I look forward to that stellar moment

 

[Former member 92300]

I know you are being funny. I respect that. Tacos no son de espana. More like a North/Central American thing I suspect. Heck, their definition of “tortilla” is soooo different than ours. But it’s soooo good at the same time.

Now it would pain me severely if “my trying to be funny” post prevented you from enjoying the experience. It’s not really a big deal. You’ll survive without tacos and mayo. And you’ll cherish the experience for the rest of your life.

I totally prefer Spanish Tortilla's to our Tortillas! That said... I am not supposed to be eating bread at all, so I would give anything to find a Mexican Tortilla Bocadilla/Wrap in a bar in Spain!

 

[Former member 92300]

Having just had a major surgical procedure on my esophagus and GI this past July, I plan to stay far far away from dry, crusty bread and will tote fruit if the markets are open. I've often found myself eating potato chips for salt, Fanta naranja for sugar, Tonica for leg cramps and eggs when I found them... None of which I ever eat at home!
It's all about making do with what's available in the moment and a tiny bit of planning ahead.

I at ridiculous amounts of potato chips, drank lots of Limon Aquarius, and huevos on my last Camino. At home - I do get some salty chip cravings, but nowhere near as bad. I never drink anything with sugar in it. And I normally get sick of eggs if I have them more than once a week. But those potato chips, limon aquarius, and huevos surely helped me survive the Camino.

This time I need to bring some sort of lightweight container to store more fresh fruit in. I accidentally crushed fresh fruit a couple times in my bag and ended up with a sticky mess.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I at ridiculous amounts of potato chips, drank lots of Limon Aquarius, and huevos on my last Camino. At home - I do get some salty chip cravings, but nowhere near as bad. I never drink anything with sugar in it. And I normally get sick of eggs if I have them more than once a week. But those potato chips, limon aquarius, and huevos surely helped me survive the Camino.

This time I need to bring some sort of lightweight container to store more fresh fruit in. I accidentally crushed fresh fruit a couple times in my bag and ended up with a sticky mess.

I like to put fruit outside in the little side pocket/mesh things.

 

[tomnorth]

So over the years the food has gotten better. I remember asking for ketchup and being served tomato soup.

Nowadays ketchup is readily available for your fries, those come with every meal btw.

Now if you walk into a random bar for lunch, and order a bocadillo (sandwich) it’s gonna be dry. I always order “tomate” to help out the wonderful bread. Typical order is “jamon con tomate y queso”.

So then I ask if they have mayonnaise. They do like 10% of the time.

I’ve learned to hoard mayo in the little packets.

If you like dry sandwiches pay no attention. If otherwise, bring or collect little mayo packets.

I found I could buy those little packets in stores too.

 

[JimDerry]

I only carry jalapeno mustard in a squeezable bottle. Only problem is when I get it out and then have to share with the entire table!!!!

 

[VNwalking]

bring little packets of hot peppers because they don’t have that either…

You're right. No chilli flakes.
But any tienda has pimenton. I go for dulce, but it comes in hot, too. Smoked and powdered peppers. Yum! A Spanish friend told me Dalia brand is best.

 

[Kanga]

For coffee drinkers, ease back to one or two cups a day. Too much coffee was giving me leg cramps at night. I am now cramp-free after suffering for two years almost every night.

Jill, I will try. My intake of coffee has increased from two to four cups a day over the last year or so.

 

[Kanga]

I love, for breakfast, "pan con tomate". A bocadillo cut in half, with flat side grilled on a hot plate, then rubbed over with tomato, olive oil, and salt.

Or, if I'm feeling the need for something more substantial and want the whole flesh of the tomato, I simply ask for "pan, un tomato fresco, sal y aceite", and make it up myself.

The bread of Spain is the perfect tool for mopping up delicious saucy dishes. Nothing could be better with a plate of Asturias bean stew.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Had some free pizza on this current Camino last year. Decent. As for paella, I've had it a few times in this 2019 & 2021 etc. Not from a frozen plastic bag.

Trick with paella is actually pretty simple. Can you see others eating paella ?

If so then by all means, order some for yourself !!

 

[La Rubia]

Best-ever bocadillo (it's been 7 year and I still dream of it) was a bocadillo con atún in Morgade - perfect balance of bread, oil-packed tuna, and juicy tomato. The bread did not shred the roof of my mouth ala Captain Crunch, and the flavors and textures blended perfected. The platonic ideal of a tuna sandwich.