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Does anyone have recent experience of doing VdlP as a Vegetarian?

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mikeatspokes

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
September 2023
I'm looking at starting the VdlP from Seville on March 30th, and just wondering if any other vegetarians (or vegans) have done this route recently, and if they found enough places to eat along the way or had to cook their own?

This won't be my first Camino, and I'm reasonably well traveled in some parts of rural Spain as a touring cyclist, but I will be walking through parts I haven't been to before, so am unsure what to expect! To be honest, I'm not a full vegetarian as I will eat some fish, such as tuna, cod, salmon, etc, though not any shellfish, and on previous trips I've always managed to find something, even if just a salad or omelette, or have cooked my own.

So just wondering what other veggie pilgrims experiences have been, and if they can recommend good places along the way or places where it is necessary to cater for myself?

P.S. have already searched this forum and read a few threads on this, but most only refer to lack of options in places or mention veggies in passing comments.
 
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If you are a vegetarian and eat fish you will have no problem at all. For us vegans? Well, that's another story.

The first time I walked the Plata in 2011 I was still a vegetarian and ended up eating way too many omelettes. For the past almost 6 years as a vegan it has been more difficult. This past summer I walked from Zamora to Santiago (last bit of the Plata and Sanabrés) and ended up making my own very basic meals. Eating out was difficult although I do love pimientos de padrón and tostada con aceite y tomate.
 
@mikeatspokes I’m an Orujo drinking omnivore. On a route like the Plata or any other meander around rural Spain I would plan to cater for myself. I’m always pleasantly surprised when some little bar in the arse-end of nowhere manages to conjure up a meal for me. I never look to closely at what is on offer, I just sharpen my knife and get on with it.

As a fish eating vegetarian you should be ok. Your past experience has probably taught you that It’s amazing what even the obscurest of bars will have in their freezer cabinet. The better ones will have, or will offer, something eggy or a mess of lentils or beans. Anywhere that features food will knock you up a mixed salad and a bowl of olives to keep your “greens” box tickled. Otherwise it’s a frozen paella and a tin of tuna all the way to Santiago.


As my dear old gran often said: “you’ll survive boy; you’ll survive”.
 
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Tincatinker said:
I’m always pleasantly surprised when some little bar in the arse-end of nowhere manages to conjure up a meal for me. I never look to closely at what is on offer, I just sharpen my knife and get on with it.
Click to expand...
I recall cycling to a small village in northern France some years back, where one of my companions had gone ahead and secured places at the campsite and booked meals at the "only" auberge open in the evening. When I got there, pitched up, and made it to the auberge, he had neglected to mention I didn't eat meat, so for a 3 course Menu de Jour, I was was presented with a plate of ham, followed by a ham salad along with liter bottles of local cider & wine! Luckily we managed to explain and I ended getting a plain salad with an omelette, plus fruit for dessert!

Another time in Sousse, Tunisia, when my girlfriend at the time and I went for an Xmas getwaway, the hotel decide to put on a 7 course Xmas lunch for the European guests! Guess what we ended up having lots of? You guessed it, omelettes!

Sometimes it's easier to cater for yourself!
 
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Tincatinker said:
Anywhere that features food will knock you up a mixed salad and a bowl of olives to keep your “greens” box tickled.
Click to expand...
Yes! Ensalada Mixta. Usually between six and €10 at the corner bar for an enormous salad. With a basket of bread and a beer or white wine., it's been my dinner many nights in Spain. They often come with tuna and eggs, but if you are vegan just ask for it without.

One thing I like about Spain, as opposed to Italy, is there seems to be very little judgment in restaurants. Whatever makes you happy, served with a grin.
 
A ‘fish eating vegetarian’ is an oxymoron. As a vegetarian who walked tge VdlP a few years back, I would stock up on seitan whenever I got to a town or city with a grocery store of any size. It increased my backpack weight but was great to have with me - lots of protein and didn’t need to be cooked. I’d also stock up on nuts whenever I could. If you’re not vegan, then omelettes, tortillas from potatoes, etc. ate readily available for breakfast most anywhere. Vegan is a different story - I walked the Norte once totally vegan and lost 8-10 kilos - now THAT was problematic.
 
Tincatinker said:
Anywhere that features food will knock you up a mixed salad and a bowl of olives to keep your “greens” box tickled. Otherwise it’s a frozen paella and a tin of tuna all the way to Santiago
Click to expand...
Note that the ensalada mixta of etiolated iceberg lettuce, tinned tuna, and slimy yellow asparagus will more likely keep your ‘yellows’ box ticked.
Tincatinker said:
As my dear old gran often said: “you’ll survive boy; you’ll survive”.
Click to expand...
As a grandmotherly vegan and graduate of the VdlP, I applaud the wisdom of the aged. As a flexible vegetarian, the OP should count his blessed egg-laying chickens that he will survive, and so will they. Carry emergency supplies if you’re not happy with what’s offered on a plate, and bear in mind the lack of cooking facilities in Galician albergues.
 
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A bit off topic...ok, nearly off topic here. The 40 year old daughter of a close friend of mine is a Vegan and eats nothing with eyes for over ten years and never cheats. I have always been surprised that she is very overweight, although not obese. I'm sure it must be to easy to substitute too many calories and carbs on a daily basis. It obviously has had nothing to do with a weight loss goal, but probably for ethical/moral reasons.
 
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lunna said:
A ‘fish eating vegetarian’ is an oxymoron.
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Well that depends on how you regard fish I guess, and your reasons for following a specific diet? I should really have written pescatarian in my post, but IME not everyone understands that term. There was an interesting thread on Reddit a while back on just this subject, and which can be found at . As is pointed out in that thread, some cultures that are traditionally strongly vegetarian didn't regard fish as 'meat' or it was a 'grey' area!

As you mention later in your post, tortillas, ensaladas, huevos fritos, bocadillos, etc are readily available and I am not really anticipating major issues, so the purpose of my post was mainly to ask if anyone has experienced any places along the route where it is particularly difficult to be on a non-meat diet! Thanks.
 
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Camino Chrissy said:
The 40 year old daughter of a close friend of mine is a Vegan and eats nothing with eyes for over ten years and never cheats. I have always been surprised that she is very overweight, although not obese.
Click to expand...
Lol, but of course it is not so much 'what' you eat that matters, but 'how much'! I have quite a few Asian friends who follow a vegetarian diet, and who are lets say, a little on the large size! Genes and levels of physical activity also matter of course.
 
It's true. I was following a mostly vegetarian diet for quite a while (still do, but not a purist), and I kept on gaining weight. And then, when I really investigated it, one of the culprits was peanut butter. There are an enormous amount of calories in peanut butter, and I was eating a lot of it!
 
Yes, I love natural chunky style peanut butter on toast, apple slices and celery. I always have to remind myself that even one flat tablespoon has nearly 100 calories!
 
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My son cycled around New Zealand mostly fuelled by 1kg tubs of peanut butter. Apparently the flight, including his bike, used up most of his budget.

He had put on a few pounds by the time he got back and isn’t very fond of Peanut Butter anymore.

An aside: Peanut Butter. Available in any Corte Ingles food hall sometimes in 1kg plastic tubs
 
Many self-styled vegetarians merely abstain from meat and and eat too few vegetables. Yes, of course the OP can stoke up on pizzas and peanut butter, but he may soon wish he hadn’t.
 
My wife and I are vegetarians (lacto-ovo) and we'll be walking the VdlP (Seville to Merida) in March. If it's like other caminos we'll be eating a lot of bread, cheese, yogurt and tortillas. Because of the lack and expense (and poor quality - see above comments) of green salads we take super-green tablets daily. We also carry nuts with us. As you know the VdlP often has sections without any services so we plan to have big breakfasts, try to buy a sandwich for the road, snack along the way, and hope that a grocery store is open when we arrive.
 
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Do let us know how you manage.
I'm sure it will be valuable for others.
 
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