EW....that's disgusting!

[Arn]

Now, before you go off into LaLa Land, this thread is about FOOD.

When I was growing up many decades ago, I'll bet we can agree that there was a time your mother put something in front of you to eat and, if your response wasn't a simple NO, EW...that's disgusting is a close second.

As we mature, our tastes can change, but we still refuse to try some foods. In my case, it was a favorite of my dad's Creamed Cherry Herring. My grandparents tried, without success, to introduce me to SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN PORK KNUCKLE).

This thread isn't about your aversion to some foods at home; it's about meeting that food demon on the Camino and possibly beating it back. To keep us on track, here's an example of a response:

Food: Blood pudding (Served alongside British RM...they tried...unsuccessfully)

Why: It looks gross. I know how they make it, and it's disgusting.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Casa Ojeda, Burgos

Does it have a local name? Morcilla

What motivated you to try it? Pilgrim pressure. I gave in.

Have you changed your mind now? Yes. It's rather tasty, and I have it every chance I get.

Well, there you have it. Let's keep the ball moving.

Buen "Please, Sir, I want some more." Camino

Arn

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Peppers (and mushrooms). I don't eat them unless they are cut up so small it is too much trouble to move them to Peg's plate. I've quit eating if they are hot peppers ("But Rick, I only put in one fifth the amount that was in the recipe!"). I've only put black pepper on fried eggs and I haven't done that recently. That "taste", that is nature's way of saying "Don't eat me!!!".

Well, despite my habitual distaste for the things, on my last trip to Spain I ordered some Padron peppers. And I ate them. And I survived (because I didn't get any of the "surprise!" ones). I also reported my daring to @VNwalking who raves about them. Now I can go back to avoiding them.

 

[Sara_Dhooma]

Food: Stewed rooster combs

Why: It was a bowl of a dozen rooster combs.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Hahaha I can't remember! I can picture the Albergue and the village in my mind but I forget where I was! It was in February 2018 - so on the Via de la Plata probably.

Does it have a local name? unknown

What motivated you to try it? It was the set pilgrim meal at the only bar in town. Plus I had a nice little jug of red wine to accompany it!

Have you changed your mind now? It was alright, but I'd rather order something else on the menu!

 

[SabsP]

Everything that has white beans in the recipe. So Fabada is not my first choice.
It is the texture and the outlook of white beans that does not appeal to me.
I will eat it of course when someone make it. Politeness. But I will never order it myself when it is on a menu.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Food: Stewed rooster combs

Why: It was a bowl of a dozen rooster combs.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Hahaha I can't remember! I can picture the Albergue and the village in my mind but I forget where I was! It was in February 2018 - so on the Via de la Plata probably.

Does it have a local name? unknown

What motivated you to try it? It was the set pilgrim meal at the only bar in town. Plus I had a nice little jug of red wine to accompany it!

Have you changed your mind now? It was alright, but I'd rather order something else on the menu!

View attachment 93546

Those are "crestas de gallo." Not so commonly seen.
Right down there with Castilian pig noses, ears, and face. I will try anything once, and I won't go back for more of those facial features. Lamb's tails are also a "no."

 

[henrythedog]

Arn,

Andouiette. A french ‘delicacy’ made of the lower colon of a pig. Apparently, like politics, it should smell a little like sh!t. It needs far better marketing to get me anywhere near it.

I’m not a fan of morcilla - especially the more rustic versions. A more well-minced black pudding can be a thing of beauty, thinly sliced and fried, but the RM will eat (and drink) practically anything so I wouldn’t start there for recommendations.

I had porcupine in Borneo once. the menu de jour was ‘whatever comes in arrow range’, so it was pot luck. Like eating a car tyre.

George W Bush was reputed to say to his mother that when he became President he was then entitled to refuse to eat broccoli

 

[jpflavin1]

In 10 Camino's I can not think of anything I have eaten that was disgusting.

That said, the worst thing I can recall eating is Limburger cheese. I had two uncles that used to slather Limburger cheese over raw onions. DISGUSTING.

I was gargling with scotch for the next 30 minutes.

 

[Kathor1]

Food: Eel

Why [not eaten earlier]: They look revolting. Black. Thin. Slimy. Wriggly. A scene described in The Tin Drum (Günter Grass, Nobel prize for literature) about eels feeding in and from the brain of a dead horse's head, with the head being used as a bait for the eels to be collected by a fisherman for later human consumption, had scarred me for life.

Where on the Camino did you try it: Restaurante Perez, Portomarín

Does it have a local name: I don't recall. Probably empanada de anguila.

What motivated you to try it: It was one of the entrées of their evening menu. The waiter recommended it. It was something local. I didn't fancy the other options either. I felt adventurous. My companion promised to eat it if I couldn't.

Have you changed your mind now: Yes. I loved the taste. I remember it as salty. It helped that I didn't see the actual fish but rather the filling of an empanada that could have been anything. I am keen to have it again.

So far, I've managed to steer clear of Schweinshaxens.

 

[jpflavin1]

Food: Eel

Why: They look revolting. Black. Thin. Slimy. Wriggly. A scene described in The Tin Drum (Günter Grass, Nobel prize for literature) about eels feeding in and from the brain of a dead horse's head, with the head being used as a bait for the eels to be collected by a fisherman for later human consumption, had scarred me for life.

Where on the Camino did you try it: Restaurante Perez, Portomarín

Does it have a local name: I don't recall. Probably empanada de anguila.

What motivated you to try it: It was one of the entries of their evening menu. The server recommended it. It was something local. I didn't fancy the other options either. I felt adventurous. My companion promised to eat it if I couldn't.

Have you changed your mind now: Yes. I loved the taste. I remember it as salty. It helped that I didn't see the actual fish but rather the filling of an empanada that could have been anything. I am keen to have it again.

So far, I've managed to steer clear of Schweinshaxens.

Love Eel in sushi restaurants

 

[Anniesantiago]

Food: Pig's ears

Why: I was at a festival

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Burgos

Does it have a local name? unknown

What motivated you to try it? People were scarfing them up and I thought, "Why not!?"

Have you changed your mind now? Nope. Not gonna eat those again!

 

[oursonpolaire]

Love Eel in sushi restaurants

I had some splendid eel in garlic in a restaurant in La Rochelle when walking from Mont Saint Michel about 10 years ago. I had not had any eel for ages-- my father used to cook eel which the local Mohawks gave him and I do not recall it being anywhere as tasty as the eel in La Rochelle-- garlic covers many sins.

I have had baby eels (angulas??) as a tapa in Logrono alongside some morcilla but I must confess I did so primarily to horrify some North American undergraduates. They (the baby eels) were very tasty but I prefer eating grown creatures.

 

[Flog]

Food: Pig's ears

Why: I was at a festival

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Burgos

Does it have a local name? unknown

What motivated you to try it? People were scarfing them up and I thought, "Why not!?"

Have you changed your mind now? Nope. Not gonna eat those again!

I remember trying them 15 years ago in Santiago on a pub crawl, long before my first camino. I recall not being at all put off by them at the time and they tasted great, salty and crispy, perfect after a dozen beers! Would I try them again? Probably not unless I was drunk again...

 

[SabsP]

Arn,

Andouiette. A french ‘delicacy’ made of the lower colon of a pig. Apparently, like politics, it should smell a little like sh!t. It needs far better marketing to get me anywhere near it.

I’m not a fan of morcilla - especially the more rustic versions. A more well-minced black pudding can be a thing of beauty, thinly sliced and fried, but the RM will eat (and drink) practically anything so I wouldn’t start there for recommendations.

I had porcupine in Borneo once. the menu de jour was ‘whatever comes in arrow range’, so it was pot luck. Like eating a car tyre.

George W Bush was reputed to say to his mother that when he became President he was then entitled to refuse to eat broccoli

Owww andouillette. An acquired taste indeed. I remember eating it for the first and last time when in France. An hour later I developed an acute sciatica. No correlation whatsoever but both memories will stay with me for a long time.

 

[MikeJS]

Food: Callos

Why: Forgot what Callos was!

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Once on the Norte and once on the Sureste (yes, I forgot again, although the second time they just said they had a local specialty!

Does it have a local name? Callos

What motivated you to try it? Ignorance

Have you changed your mind now? Nope. I hate tripe, I hate the smell, taste and texture.

 

[auburnfive]

Food Angulas

Why served on a salad, one of the options on the Menu del Dia is a busy restaurant. We didn’t realize these were tiny, slimy baby eels, and were expecting a vegetable of some sort. The texture rather than the taste was the worst part.

Where Baiona

Have you changed your mind? Have since learned they probably weren’t actually eels, as those would have been hideously expensive, but likely flavoured pollock, similar to the crab flavoured pollock available in Canada

 

[JabbaPapa]

Andouiette. A french ‘delicacy’ made of the lower colon of a pig. Apparently, like politics, it should smell a little like sh!t. It needs far better marketing to get me anywhere near it.

Andouillette.

I loathe even the better "normal" versions (as to the bad ones, let's not go there) -- but the truly good quality ones, hard to find even in France, and it's not a matter of expense, can be absolutely fantastic.

Here it really isn't a matter of taste (unless of course you simply loathe pork), but a matter of if the guy who made the stuff in the first place actually knows what he's doing. The bad versions are vile.

And Andouillette is easier than Andouille ...

 

[Former member 91017]

Food: baby eel salad

Why: I was late to dinner because I *had to* acquire a SIM card in Pamplona to stay on top of work I was finishIng with a publisher who had changed timelines so I was SOL on dinner choices.

Where: a rather upscale bar in Pamplona that my early “Camino family” had chosen. I arrived in time to eat the things they had saved for me.

Changed my mind? — well I was apprehensive about the dish — which had a fried egg involved too. But I had not eaten since Irotz at mid-day, so I tucked in. Quite liked it, and will seek it out if ever there is a next time.

Meanwhile I have found an imported condiment from Spain and it contains noodle-fish and hot peppers, grilled red peppers and tomatoes. I put that on potatoes and roast in the oven as a snack as often as I can.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Otherwise, I generally have the opposite problem -- I am obliged to follow insanely restrictive dietary needs, so that experimenting with this or that is generally no longer an option.

Though there are so many foods that I love that I can simply no longer eat.

The only "problem" meal I can recall on the Camino was in some trucker restaurant in the South of France on my 2005, and then it was bad cooking rather than the basic foodstuffs which were steak & chips.

I suppose I have a counter story from childhood in Valldoreix, which is on one of the branches of the Camí Catalan between Barcelona and Montserrat.

Food: Snails.

Why: Well I was a child -- Icky.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Valldoreix near Barcelona.

Does it have a local name? Cargols.

What motivated you to try it? My dad ordered them, and instead of the civilised French dozen or half dozen, they gave him a HUGE salad bowl full of them. He said "Ewww !!" after trying a couple and pushed the bowl away. Not his delicate and dainty garlic-flavoured Burgundy version (though really, he didn't much like those ones either).
Seeing this as a dare, I tried a couple -- loved them, and ended up scoffing the entire bowl !! (to the disgust of my siblings and the astonishment of my dad)

Have you changed your mind now? Nope !! But trustworthy ones have become crazily hard to find in the 21st Century ...

 

[palmah]

Food: Maragato Stew

Why: It was a bowl of boiled pork parts.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Astorga

Does it have a local name? Cocido Maragato

What motivated you to try it? The owner said it was a specialty of Astorga and super specialty in his restaurant

Have you changed your mind now? Nope.

However, Astorga is also the place where we ordered Sol y Sombra at the bar in the Hotel Gaudi. The young bartender didn't know how to make it - so we told her. A shot of brandy and a shot of annisette. She made us a couple with about 3 shots of each served in a large brandy snifter and charged us only 4 euros!

 

[nidarosa]

I have generally enjoyed the Spanish food I have tried, one firm favourite is pigs' or beef cheeks, but when I decided to go local and order maragato, which I understood was considered something of a gastronomical highlight of the Astorga area, I had to give up. Not sure why, I love pork and tomato and chorizo and ... I guess it was just too fatty/greasy/oily/piggy for me. Just seen the post above - snap!

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Food: Petit Lamb

Why: reading the menu del dia I came across the petit lamb and ordered. In my mind I was going to enjoy some small lamb chops or medallions... nope, it was tripe with intestine, in all its squiggly glory. I tried one forkful but couldn’t bring myself the chew much less swallow... waiter asked if it was not cooked well to which I answered, ‘it’s great but I filled up on the bread’.

Where: Puenta la Reina

Have you changed your mind? Nope.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Sol y Sombra though, I do actively dislike -- though brandy and anisette and cocktails generally are bad for me.

Petit lamb, well with the exception of Andouille and Andouillette (well prepared) I find all tripe to be foul stuff, even though Tripes à la Mode de Caen prepared supremely to absolute Parisian bourgeois perfection I found to be just about edible, though not pleasant as such.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

Food: Prawns

Why: They were served with their heads on, with their lifeless little eyes bugging out, with their alien little legs curled up, and -- AAARRGGHH! -- very unlike the mild and unmemorable shrimp dishes I am accustomed to back in the USA.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Restaurante A Esmorga, Negreira, Galicia, Camino Finisterre, 4 June 2017. (Not a bad place otherwise....)

Does it have a local name? Not that I recall....

What motivated you to try it? Naive optimism. Several vinos blancos....

Have you changed your mind now? No. Never, never, never again!

 

[VNwalking]

I'm one of those annoyingly smug vegetarians who has never met a vegetable she didn't like. There's the added advantage that one's faced with fewer disgusting mystery foods. Of course there are still limburger cheese and bottled white asparagus - the mystery being what in the world people see in them to like. I sort of understand the complexity of the cheese, but the asparagus is totally beyond me. Especially since lightly cooked fresh asparagus is ambrosia.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

Love Eel in sushi restaurants

And if you sauté it in olive oil, garlic and paprika the taste will delight! Case in point- pulpo

 

[Arn]

In 10 Camino's I can not think of anything I have eaten that was disgusting.

That said, the worst thing I can recall eating is Limburger cheese. I had two uncles that used to slather Limburger cheese over raw onions. DISGUSTING.

I was gargling with scotch for the next 30 minutes.

A fine single malt whisky is the world's best palate cleanser.

 

[Arn]

Food: Pig's ears

Why: I was at a festival

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Burgos

Does it have a local name? unknown

What motivated you to try it? People were scarfing them up and I thought, "Why not!?"

Have you changed your mind now? Nope. Not gonna eat those again!

Anytime someone says "Why their just like Doritos!" Don't believe them.

 

[Arn]

Otherwise, I generally have the opposite problem -- I am obliged to follow insanely restrictive dietary needs, so that experimenting with this or that is generally no longer an option.

Though there are so many foods that I love that I can simply no longer eat.

The only "problem" meal I can recall on the Camino was in some trucker restaurant in the South of France on my 2005, and then it was bad cooking rather than the basic foodstuffs which were steak & chips.

I suppose I have a counter story from childhood in Valldoreix, which is on one of the branches of the Camí Catalan between Barcelona and Montserrat.

Food: Snails.

Why: Well I was a child -- Icky.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Valldoreix near Barcelona.

Does it have a local name? Cargols.

What motivated you to try it? My dad ordered them, and instead of the civilised French dozen or half dozen, they gave him a HUGE salad bowl full of them. He said "Ewww !!" after trying a couple and pushed the bowl away. Not his delicate and dainty garlic-flavoured Burgundy version (though really, he didn't much like those ones either).
Seeing this as a dare, I tried a couple -- loved them, and ended up scoffing the entire bowl !! (to the disgust of my siblings and the astonishment of my dad)

Have you changed your mind now? Nope !! But trustworthy ones have become crazily hard to find in the 21st Century ...

I first ate snails when assigned to the embassy in Paris..L'Escargot Montorguei. I was hooked. I've introduced snails to my immediate family and they all love them.

 

[Arn]

View attachment 93577

Food: Prawns

Why: They were served with their heads on, with their lifeless little eyes bugging out, with their alien little legs curled up, and -- AAARRGGHH! -- very unlike the mild and unmemorable shrimp dishes I was accustomed to back in the USA.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Restaurante A Esmara, Negreira, Galicia, Camino Finisterre, 4 June 2017. (Not a bad place otherrwise....)

Does it have a local name? Not that I recall....

What motivated you to try it? Naive optimism. Several vinos blancos....

Have you changed your mind now? No. Never, never, never again!

Ah, prawns!!! I will go out of my way for a LARGE dish of prawns.

 

[Arn]

I'm one of those annoyingly smug vegetarians who has never met a vegetable she didn't like. There's the added advantage that there are fewer disgusting mysteries. Other than limberger cheeese and bottled white asparagus - the mystery being what in the world people see in them. I sort of understand the complexity of the cheese, but the asparagus is beyond me. Especially since lightly cooked fresh asparagus is ambrrosia.

I have wild asparagus growing on my farm. It is as wide as my thumb and when harvested close to the ground absolutely to die for. Every day for three months I harvest a minimum of three pounds. I keep some to chomp on as I walk the fields , or save for supper. I give the remainder away. As I walk through Andalusia I've seen some pilgrims walk into the fields to nip a few stalks. I don't think its a good practice. Now, grapes hovering over the trail are a gift.

 

[SabsP]

I have wild asparagus growing on my farm. It is as wide as my thumb and when harvested close to the ground absolutely to die for. Every day for three months I harvest a minimum of three pounds. I keep some to chomp on as I walk the fields , or save for supper. I give the remainder away. As I walk through Andalusia I've seen some pilgrims walk into the fields to nip a few stalks. I don't think its a good practice. Now, grapes hovering over the trail are a gift.

Whitte asparagus with buttersauce. When all this Covidbusiness is settled I will make this dish for my forumfriends!

 

[Arn]

Whitte asparagus with buttersauace. When all this Covidbusiness is settled I will make this dish for my forumfriends!

Sign me up!!!

 

[JabbaPapa]

View attachment 93577

Food: Prawns

Does it have a local name? Not that I recall....

Those are Gambas.

 

[NorthernLight]

I had a hospitalera in Decazeville, France proudly open a tin of paté de foie gras and announce this would be the protein at my dinner.

Blech. I tried it. I detested it (texture and taste) and handed my portion over to another, more grateful than I, pilgrim.

 

[C clearly]

bottled white asparagus

Whitte asparagus with butersauace.

Now, that sounds fine - like what I thought I might get in a restaurant in Briviesca on the Vasco, when I ordered asparrago con mayonesa. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to get this. But it was awful and I couldn't finish it.

 

[frbobs]

Now, before you go off into LaLa Land, this thread is about FOOD.

When I was growing up many decades ago, I'll bet we can agree that there was a time your mother put something in front of you to eat and, if your response wasn't a simple NO, EW...that's disgusting is a close second.

As we mature, our tastes can change, but we still refuse to try some foods. In my case, it was a favorite of my dad's Creamed Cherry Herring. My grandparents tried, without success, to introduce me to SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN PORK KNUCKLE).

This thread isn't about your aversion to some foods at home; it's about meeting that food demon on the Camino and possibly beating it back. To keep us on track, here's an example of a response:

Food: Blood pudding (Served alongside British RM...they tried...unsuccessfully)

Why: It looks gross. I know how they make it, and it's disgusting.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Casa Ojeda, Burgos

Does it have a local name? Morcilla

What motivated you to try it? Pilgrim pressure. I gave in.

Have you changed your mind now? Yes. It's rather tasty, and I have it every chance I get.

Well, there you have it. Let's keep the ball moving.

Buen "Please, Sir, I want some more." Camino

Arn

Food: Pig's Ears

Why: Little hairs still on 'em, and …They're EARS

Where on the Camino did you try it? Naverette, Villares de Orbigo, Ponferrada

Does it have a local name? Oreja de Cerdo

What motivated you to try it? First Time: novelty, Second Time: starving, Third Time: actually chose them off a menu, couldn't get enough.

Have you changed your mind now? YES. 1/2 way through the 2nd time, I was hooked.

 

[SabsP]

Now, that sounds fine - like what I thought I might get in a restaurant in Briviesca on the Vasco, when I ordered asparrago con mayonesa. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to get this. But it was awful and I couldn't finish it.

Mayonaise should only be served with frites aka chips. All other options are out of the question...

 

[Annette london]

Now, before you go off into LaLa Land, this thread is about FOOD.

When I was growing up many decades ago, I'll bet we can agree that there was a time your mother put something in front of you to eat and, if your response wasn't a simple NO, EW...that's disgusting is a close second.

As we mature, our tastes can change, but we still refuse to try some foods. In my case, it was a favorite of my dad's Creamed Cherry Herring. My grandparents tried, without success, to introduce me to SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN PORK KNUCKLE).

This thread isn't about your aversion to some foods at home; it's about meeting that food demon on the Camino and possibly beating it back. To keep us on track, here's an example of a response:

Food: Blood pudding (Served alongside British RM...they tried...unsuccessfully)

Why: It looks gross. I know how they make it, and it's disgusting.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Casa Ojeda, Burgos

Does it have a local name? Morcilla

What motivated you to try it? Pilgrim pressure. I gave in.

Have you changed your mind now? Yes. It's rather tasty, and I have it every chance I get.

Well, there you have it. Let's keep the ball moving.

Buen "Please, Sir, I want some more." Camino

Arn

All this talk of food is making me feel hungry!
Blood pudding...maybe the same as Black pudding...it's very tasty!
When the children were young ..
This was my manta

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I had some splendid eel in garlic in a restaurant in La Rochelle when walking from Mont Saint Michel about 10 years ago. I had not had any eel for ages-- my father used to cook eel which the local Mohawks gave him and I do not recall it being anywhere as tasty as the eel in La Rochelle-- garlic covers many sins.

I have had baby eels (angulas??) as a tapa in Logrono alongside some morcilla but I must confess I did so primarily to horrify some North American undergraduates. They (the baby eels) were very tasty but I prefer eating grown creatures.

Was it something like this:

https://teara.govt.nz/files/p-11112-pc.jpg

Or this: https://resources.stuff.co.nz/conte...1524209763659.jpg?format=pjpg&optimize=medium

Yumm!

 

[trecile]

Mayonaise should only be served with frites aka chips. All other options are out of the question...

This is how I feel about mayonnaise on anything.

 

[Icacos]

View attachment 93577

Food: Prawns

Why: They were served with their heads on, with their lifeless little eyes bugging out, with their alien little legs curled up, and -- AAARRGGHH! -- very unlike the mild and unmemorable shrimp dishes I was accustomed to back in the USA.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Restaurante A Esmorga, Negreira, Galicia, Camino Finisterre, 4 June 2017. (Not a bad place otherrwise....)

Does it have a local name? Not that I recall....

What motivated you to try it? Naive optimism. Several vinos blancos....

Have you changed your mind now? No. Never, never, never again!

Why would those prawns upset you? There isn’t even any roe stuck to their legs.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

*I have had blood/black pudding served with breakfast in Ireland and England...enjoyed it.
*"Soup" on the Norte...only chicken broth with tiny pieces of old bread mixed in for filler, nothing else in it. No flavor...No thanks.
*A bucket of cheap, tiny, slimy snails (uncooked?) in Tomar. So small you picked them out with toothpicks...Yuk.
*Canned, limp, white asparagus served on many salads in Spain...No thanks.
*Pulpo, yes, in Melide and other villages, but best shared in small doses.
*Fish, I love fish, but eventually avoided it on he Norte cuz I hated worrying about choking on sharp tiny bones...So no. In the US the prep/work is always done back in the kitchen.
*Stewed Rabbit heads...Yuk!!! I ordered stewed rabbit on the Primitivo as I'd never had rabbit before. It came to the table with many floating rabbit heads complete with their full sets of tiny white teeth showing...Ew...disgusting!
(I don't think that hotel liked pilgrims.)



.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I

Food: Maragato Stew

Why: It was a bowl of boiled pork parts.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Astorga

Does it have a local name? Cocido Maragato

What motivated you to try it? The owner said it was a specialty of Astorga and super specialty in his restaurant

Have you changed your mind now? Nope.

However, Astorga is also the place where we ordered Sol y Sombra at the bar in the Hotel Gaudi. The young bartender didn't know how to make it - so we told her. A shot of brandy and a shot of annisette. She made us a couple with about 3 shots of each served in a large brandy snifter and charged us only 4 euros!

If you just had a "bowl of boiled pork parts" then you were short changed!

Working at Guacelmo the CSJ pays for one meal a day taken alternately at Tonio's and Gaspar's

Gaspar was insistent we had to have the maragato one evening and said we would only be charge the same as the standard pilgrim menu so we (four of us) decided to give it a go.

If you haven't eaten in the Posada at Rabanal it's a real treat. We were shown to a larger table for 6 people and the wine that was served was a step or two above the norm. The meal came in three courses:

1 stewed meat: pork, sausage, goat, goose, sausage, beef, large cubes of pork fat and, we suspected, pig bits (snout, trotters and ears) in a huge silver tureen.

2 vegetables: chickpeas, boiled cabbage, boiled potatoes, rather dry but . . .

3 soup: essentially the stock from cooking the meat, thickened and with added vermicelli noodles.

Anna, the waitress, then brought up 3 bottles of Arujo and some shot glasses.

We staggered back to the refugio.

A couple of days later we a had an irritating couple stay at the refugio who were obviously more used to the Ritz and asked if there was anywhere decent to eat in the village so we pointed them towards the Posada and one of us hospitaleros recommended the Maragato.

When they returned later that night they too were staggering and very much subdued!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

This is how I feel about mayonnaise on anything.
View attachment 93597

I'm the opposite, Trecile...I love mayo (but not miracle Whip), but only on deli sandwiches or as the binder used in egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad.
Shall we discuss vegemite or marmite next?

 

[SabsP]

I'm the opposite, Trecile...I love mayo (but not miracle Whip), but only on deli sandwiches or as the binder used in egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad.
Shall we discuss vegemite or marmite next?

I also believe that in general USA mayo is somewhat sweeter than the European version?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I'm the opposite, Trecile...I love mayo (but not miracle Whip), but only on deli sandwiches or as the binder used in egg salad, chicken salad, or tuna salad.
Shall we discuss vegemite or marmite next?

I do so enjoy watching Americans try Vegemite for the first time . I control my urge to give advice and just sit and watch.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I also believe that in general USA mayo is somewhat sweeter than the European version?

Someone else may know, but I never saw it offered.

 

[SabsP]

Someone else may know, but I never saw it offered.

Depends on the amount of vinegar and mustard that is used...

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Not a Camino dish but probably the only dish I've eaten just the once and would never be tempted to try again: SPAM fritters.

My older brother Peter had been on a school outing to the Imperial War Museum in London where they'd been told about wartime rations and SPAM fritters so we asked our Mother to make them - "You won't like them," she said but we kept on and on asking so eventually she made them for Peter, me and out younger sister.

She was, as usual, right.

Our eldest brother who had experienced wartime cooking commented "And what you need to realise is Mum's version was pretty good compared to anybody else's!"

I understand SPAM is considered a delicacy in Korea (GIs and the Korean War).

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Depends on the amount of vinegar and mustard that is used...

But I'll attest that the cheapest, generic Belgian mayo is superior to most premium brands.

 

[Kathor1]

one firm favourite is pigs' or beef cheeks

I remember those. (This is a fun thread, btw)

Food: Pigs cheeks

Why [not eaten earlier]: Not so much an "ew ... that's disgusting" food as an unknown entity. We had little Spanish at the time and no internet connection. We couldn't figure out what on earth carrilleras de cerdo was. We came to the conclusion that we had seen the word cerdo before and that it was either beef, veal or pork and that carrilleras were cutlets although what the waitress explained to us sounded more like beef stew. Anyway, bits of meat in a brown sauce apparently, it sounded reassuring.

Where on the Camino did you try it: Cuatro Cantones, Belorado

Does it have a local name: Carilleras de cerdo

What motivated you to try it: It was on the menu. Not a pilgrims menu (I'm often not too keen on them). We arrived late, though not late by Spanish habits, and they had run out of most dishes.

Have you changed your mind now: Loved it. I grew up in a rural area, we even had a butcher come to the house in winter but I don't recall ever having heard of pigs cheeks as something that you eat. They are apparently nowadays mainly used for sausage production but in Spain they are more commonly known as a dish as such. By chance, I recently discovered a shop in my area where they are on offer. I'm tempted to cook this dish myself one of these days.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Depends on the amount of vinegar and mustard that is used...

Than Mayonaise may be sweeter as Miracle Whip has a much more vinegar flavor, which for me is more a negative...but I'll take either of them rather than have a dry deli sandwich, along with Dijon mustard, my fave...I think it's the white wine in it I like so much.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

(This is a fun thread, btw

Agree... Thanks, Arn! I think we all like our Camino food memories...even the bad ones!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I do so enjoy watching Americans try Vegemite for the first time . I control my urge to give advice and just sit and watch.

That is just SO cruel!

 

[trecile]

I do so enjoy watching Americans try Vegemite for the first time . I control my urge to give advice and just sit and watch.

All that I know is that Vegemite is not used like peanut butter - less is better (and none even better )

 

[Icacos]

...... I ordered stewed rabbit ... it came to the table with many floating rabbit heads complete with their full sets of tiny white teeth showing

My son once partook of some sheep’s head when he visited South Africa. It was cooked on an open fire. He said the dish was called, “Smiley.”

 

[Camino Chrissy]

My son once partook of some sheep’s head when he visited South Africa. It was cooked on an open fire. He said the dish was called, “Smiley.”

My rabbit heads were wearing dentures.They had pearly whites.

 

[trecile]

When I visited my son in South Korea he tried to get me to eat this - silkworm pupa, which was set out at a bar in the same manner as we would have peanuts in the US or olives in Spain.

I declined.

 

[Arn]

I had a hospitalera in Decazeville, France proudly open a tin of patéde foie gras and announce this would be the protein at my dinner.

Blech. I tried it. I detested it (texture and taste) and handed my portion over to another, more grateful than I, pilgrim.

Had I only been that pilgrim. A fine pate and crisp white wine is a perfect appetizer prior to Beef Bourguignon. Ah!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Had I only been that pilgrim. A fine pate and crisp white wine is a perfect appetizer prior to Beef Bourguignon. Ah!

I enjoy foie gras, and less expensive pate's, but must eat it on crackers.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Food: Botillo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botillo

Why: look at the wiki description, put together all the other foods in this thread, then put them in a pigs intestine and slowly cook. It didn't help that while walking through France in the weeks leading up to getting to Leon I walked past an incredibly pungent pig farm and the Botillo reminded me of that smell.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Somewhere in the Humedo quarter in Leon

Does it have a local name? As above

What motivated you to try it? My partner met me in Leon to walk the San Salvador together, she wanted to try a speciality from El Bierzo where she is originally from and convinced me to eat it.

Have you changed your mind now? Only if I have it in El Bierzo where it might be cooked properly.

 

[Arn]

*I have had blood/black pudding served with breakfast in Ireland and England...enjoyed it.
*"Soup" on the Norte...only chicken broth with tiny pieces of old bread mixed in for filler, nothing else in it. No flavor...No thanks.
*A bucket of cheap, tiny, slimy snails (uncooked?) in Tomar. So small you picked them out with toothpicks...Yuk.
*Canned, limp, white asparagus served on many salads in Spain...No thanks.
*Pulpo, yes, in Melide and other villages, but best shared in small doses.
*Fish, I love fish, but eventually avoided it on he Norte cuz I hated worrying about choking on sharp tiny bones...So no. In the US the prep/work is always done back in the kitchen.
*Stewed Rabbit heads...Yuk!!! I ordered stewed rabbit on the Primitivo as I'd never had rabbit before. It came to the table with many floating rabbit heads complete with their full sets of tiny white teeth showing...Ew...disgusting!
(I don't think that hotel liked pilgrims.)



.

As to the small bones (or even large ones) Proverb: it's best to sit down to eat not to butcher. Try shoveling pasta when the gravy includes neck bones.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

When I visited my son in South Korea he tried to get me to eat this - silkworm pupa, which was set out at a bar in the same manner as we would have peanuts in the US or olives in Spain.

I declined.

Trecile, you win the prize for the most disgusting.

 

[Arn]

My son once partook of some sheep’s head when he visited South Africa. It was cooked on an open fire. He said the dish was called, “Smiley.”

I've spent some time eating with the Zulu in SA. I think they may have called it Skopo. Could be wrong because the four hours I spent basting it over a spit I consumed my weight in Lion Lager.

 

[Arn]

When I visited my son in South Korea he tried to get me to eat this - silkworm pupa, which was set out at a bar in the same manner as we would have peanuts in the US or olives in Spain.

I declined.

I've eaten that and cockroaches, but only after drinking a gallon of Soju. Considering to consume that much would normally kill you, or render you blind, it's better off I can't remember. Give me Galician Orujo anytime.

 

[Arn]

All that I know is that Vegemite is not used like peanut butter - less is better (and none even better )

Although my lovely Boer Meisie swore by Vegemite, I never developed a taste for it.

 

[Arn]

I enjoy foie gras, and less expensive pate's, but must eat it on crackers.

Try it on pig skins...no carbs!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Try it on pig skins...no carbs!

Yes, but the fat intake is up the yinyang...not sure which is worse.

 

[Arn]

Yes, but the fat intake is up the yinyang...not sure which is worse.

Fat is good for you...thats another longer discussion. Likely as a PM.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Fat is good for you...thats another longer discussion. Likely as a PM.

Well you're the one who mentioned the word "carbs"...but it is your thread/rules, Arn!

 

[jpflavin1]

Than Mayonaise may be sweeter as Miracle Whip has a much more vinegar flavor, which for me is more a negative...but I'll take either of them rather than have a dry deli sandwich, along with Dijon mustard, my fave...I think it's the white wine in it I like so much.

Mayo = Salmonela, The cheek of many animals is considered one of the better parts.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Mayo = Salmonela, The cheek of many animals is considered one of the better parts.

Only when it sits at room temperature for ten minutes.
I have yet to try "cheek", but I sometimes am a bit cheeky.

 

[jpflavin1]

Only when it sits at room temperature for ten minutes.
I have yet to try "cheek", but I sometimes am a bit cheeky.

We cut them out of fish all the time, excellent.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

We cut them out of fish all the time, excellent.

I'll remember that tip, but we only catch bass and trout; not sure their cheeks would be big enough?

 

[David61]

When I visited my son in South Korea he tried to get me to eat this - silkworm pupa, which was set out at a bar in the same manner as we would have peanuts in the US or olives in Spain.

I declined.

I was reading a book on ancient China and it said the job of cooking silkworms was coveted. They cook the worms as part of the silk removal process. Coveted because the person doing the boiling got to eat the worms. Probably not so much so nowadays!

 

[David61]

I have a simple rule for what I eat. If it comes from a living animal then in life I have to be able to talk to and pat the animal. This means cow, lamb, pig, chicken, odd goat, not cats and dogs!! I am not judgemental on what others eat, just squeamish

 

[naplesdon]

Agouti.
It is West African bush rat, dead ones are normally sold along the road but also some are farm raised in captivity. The are splayed and sun dried like beef jerky. Added to sauces and eaten over fufu, pounded yams, and eaten with the fingers. It is a specialty due to its limited availability and because it is meat the other popular protein is tiny sun dried fish. Both are very gamey tasting. Fufu is normally served with string, gooey gumbo.

 

[hel&scott]

As a vegetarian I have skipped the mystery meat. Scott loved all sorts of exotic treats on our travels, some of which he tried at home, I shall never forget being press ganged into stirring the bucket of blood as he slaughtered a pig to make mortela.

I did get very sick of iceberg leaves being passed of as salad on the French Camino, nothing wrong with them just boring day after day.

Perhaps the oddest thing I got served on a Camino was in Salamanca where we got jelly beans as a tapas offering next to a gin and tonic. As I don't have a sweet tooth I didn't try them at first but then the combination of a quality fruit jelly melting in my mouth along with the gin was memorable. Must give it another go.

 

[simply B]

When I was just a sprout, the household rule was to eat everything put before you. In a household of 8, there was survival value in following the rule.

I have been 1.8 m tall and 70-79 kg in weight for the last 50 years. As soon as I had my first job, it became apparent that erratic work loads and travel made missing meals a fairly routine affair.

My personal rules developed over the years boiled down to three:

1) Never miss a chance to use a clean bathroom.
2) Never miss a chance to get some sleep. Wherever, however.
3) Eat whatever is available when traveling. You can cook your own favorites at home.

Food on the Camino? Never once gave me pause....but then I was hungry all the time. ALL. THE. TIME.

I am not being a "reverse snob" here. I DO understand the problem....and believe that many would not find me an agreeable travel companion.

During travels over eight countries with a devoted Frenchman, he opined that my ability to eat "whatever" was "truly disgusting". A few years later, his sentiments were echoed by a Scotsman over my choice of haggis for the evening meal.

To each their own....and, "Say, what's in the pot on the back burner? Smells like food..."

B

 

[David61]

I did get very sick of iceberg leaves being passed of as salad on the French Camino,

Not always iceberg leaves

 

[nycwalking]

Food: Eggs!

Why? When I was a child not sure. As an adult I want my food to have completed it’s evolutionary process. Ergo, chicken yes, eggs no.

In Spain, many times eggs were snuck in salads, tortillas, this and that. It took a fortnight or so before I knew just how to keep those huevos off my plate.

 

[simply B]

Not a Camino dish but probably the only dish I've eaten just the once and would never be tempted to try again: SPAM fritters.

My older brother Peter had been on a school outing to the Imperial War Museum in London where they'd been told about wartime rations and SPAM fritters so we asked our Mother to make them - "You won't like them," she said but we kept on and on asking so eventually she made them for Peter, me and out younger sister.

She was, as usual, right.

Our eldest brother who had experienced wartime cooking commented "And what you need to realise is Mum's version was pretty good compared to anybody else's!"

I understand SPAM is considered a delicacy in Korea (GIs and the Korean War).

A friend in the retail trade tells me that SPAM is also very popular in the US state of Hawaii.

At hunting or fishing camp, I'll always have a few tins for slicing and frying to go with the eggs and hash browns to economize on bacon. Nobody ever complains, but that might be the result of the rule that whoever complains has to take over as the cook.

But, yeah, as fritters? I just do not seeing that having a happy outcome. I'd eat them, for sure, but I'd be certain of having a cheap red or an Islay malt handy to cut the grease and flavor.

B

 

[simply B]

Food: Eggs!

Why? When I was a child not sure. As an adult I want my food to have completed it’s evolutionary process. Ergo, chicken yes, eggs no.

In Spain, many times eggs were snuck in salads, tortillas, this and that. It took a fortnight or so before I knew just how to keep those huevos off my plate.

Well, should you ever visit the Philippines? Be sure to give a miss to 'balut', even though it hits a mid-point on your 'evolutionary' criterion.

I leave the research to you.

Trust me, there's not enough Scotch to get that down easily.

B

 

[domigee]

Now, before you go off into LaLa Land, this thread is about FOOD.

When I was growing up many decades ago, I'll bet we can agree that there was a time your mother put something in front of you to eat and, if your response wasn't a simple NO, EW...that's disgusting is a close second.

As we mature, our tastes can change, but we still refuse to try some foods. In my case, it was a favorite of my dad's Creamed Cherry Herring. My grandparents tried, without success, to introduce me to SCHWEINSHAXE (GERMAN PORK KNUCKLE).

This thread isn't about your aversion to some foods at home; it's about meeting that food demon on the Camino and possibly beating it back. To keep us on track, here's an example of a response:

Food: Blood pudding (Served alongside British RM...they tried...unsuccessfully)

Why: It looks gross. I know how they make it, and it's disgusting.

Where on the Camino did you try it?: Casa Ojeda, Burgos

Does it have a local name? Morcilla

What motivated you to try it? Pilgrim pressure. I gave in.

Have you changed your mind now? Yes. It's rather tasty, and I have it every chance I get.

Well, there you have it. Let's keep the ball moving.

Buen "Please, Sir, I want some more." Camino

Arn

Food: Don’t know what it was!
Why? It tasted foul and what is worse, it smelt absolutely awful!!! I had to put my untouched plate on an empty table a bit further away from us
Where in Camino did you try it? Navarette
Does it have a local name: it did, I have forgotten it
What motivated you to try it? It was something I had never eaten before and the waiter said it was ‘muy bueno’
Have you changed your mind about it? Nooooo. I since went back a few times to Navarette and stuck to food I knew!
Maybe it was a Spanish version of andouillette?

 

[Icacos]

Well, should you ever visit the Philippines? Be sure to give a miss to 'balut', even though it hits a mid-point on your 'evolutionary' criterion.

I leave the research to you.

Trust me, there's not enough Scotch to get that down easily.

B

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(food)
My word, I think I’d eat anything before I ate that.

 

[Icacos]

Food: Eggs! ..... It took a fortnight or so before I knew just how to keep those huevos off my plate.

How did you manage that? Seriously ... I’m so concerned about those eggs appearing on my plate that I’ve been thinking I could never do a home stay in Spain. How can one not offend one’s host, especially if one is a vegetarian?

 

[Arn]

I have a simple rule for what I eat. If it comes from a living animal then in life I have to be able to talk to and pat the animal. This means cow, lamb, pig, chicken, odd goat, not cats and dogs!! I am not judgemental on what others eat, just squeamish

In some countries you won't know you are eating cats and dogs.

 

[Arn]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(food)
My word, I think I’d eat anything before I ate that.

Balut is fine. Just remember to blow out the feathers. They tickle going down

 

[simply B]

Balut is fine. Just remember to blow out the feathers. They tickle going down

Ummm, yeah.

I seem to remember @Arn that you are a Marine. (no such thing as an "ex-Marine", folks)

Relevance? (and offered with deepest respect, @Arn )

Marines have a reputation for eating crayons when the MRE's are not up to snuff....and happily.

 

[Texas Walker]

I had some splendid eel in garlic in a restaurant in La Rochelle when walking from Mont Saint Michel about 10 years ago. I had not had any eel for ages-- my father used to cook eel which the local Mohawks gave him and I do not recall it being anywhere as tasty as the eel in La Rochelle-- garlic covers many sins.

I have had baby eels (angulas??) as a tapa in Logrono alongside some morcilla but I must confess I did so primarily to horrify some North American undergraduates. They (the baby eels) were very tasty but I prefer eating grown creatures.

They may have been, um, ersatz gulas anyway. At the St Michael tourist trap/mercado in Madrid, the seller of the gulas had a sign bragging about the high quality of the fish they were made from. (Think of the "fake crab" sticks at the grocery store, but these tasted better.)

 

[trecile]

How did you manage that? Seriously ... I’m so concerned about those eggs appearing on my plate that I’ve been thinking I could never do a home stay in Spain. How can one not offend one’s host, especially if one is a vegetarian?

Just say Soy alérgico/a a los huevos

 

[Arn]

When I was just a sprout, the household rule was to eat everything put before you. In a household of 8, there was survival value in following the rule.

I have been 1.8 m tall and 70-79 kg in weight for the last 50 years. As soon as I had my first job, it became apparent that erratic work loads and travel made missing meals a fairly routine affair.

My personal rules developed over the years boiled down to three:

1) Never miss a chance to use a clean bathroom.
2) Never miss a chance to get some sleep. Wherever, however.
3) Eat whatever is available when traveling. You can cook your own favorites at home.

Food on the Camino? Never once gave me pause....but then I was hungry all the time. ALL. THE. TIME.

I am not being a "reverse snob" here. I DO understand the problem....and believe that many would not find me an agreeable travel companion.

During travels over eight countries with a devoted Frenchman, he opined that my ability to eat "whatever" was "truly disgusting". A few years later, his sentiments were echoed by a Scotsman over my choice of haggis for the evening meal.

To each their own....and, "Say, what's in the pot on the back burner? Smells like food..."

B

Ha...haggis!
Now there is something I can get tucked into. I was a guest at Dalhousie Castle outside Edinburgh. The dining room is in the old dungeon. At breakfast, each plate had a dollop of haggis. Most folks pushed it aside. So, I went table to table collecting it up. The Laird of the castle came to my table commenting, “So, lad, you fancy the haggis!” I was invited to his private quarters later that evening where we shared stories and a wee bit more fine single malt than I should have.
Buen “Here’s to...well, I can't rightly remember.” Camino
Arn

 

[Icacos]

Just say Soy alérgico/a a los huevos

Of course !!! That is a fabulous solution. Thank you!

 

[JabbaPapa]

But I'll attest that the cheapest, generic Belgian mayo is superior to most premium brands.

But still inferior to making your own with good farm egg(s) and high quality olive oil.

And that's mayonnaise ...

It's good with some types of fish, in potato salad, and with French-style rosbif (but it would be criminal to have it with English-style roast beef).

 

[Camino Chrissy]

It's good with some types of fish, in potato salad,

Oh yes, mayo w/relish is "tartar sauce" in the US and enhances the flavor of less expensive fish, and I don't think potato salad could exist without mayo to bind it..
Yum to both!

 

[trecile]

I don't think potato salad could exist without mayo to bind it..

There's tons of yummy potato salad recipes without mayo!

potato salad without mayo - Google Search

Including German potato salad

Authentic German Potato Salad

Bacon gives this warm German potato salad recipe a boost of flavor. Vinegar and sugar in the dressing are the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

www.allrecipes.com

 

[nycwalking]

There's tons of yummy potato salad recipes without mayo!

potato salad without mayo - Google Search

Including German potato salad

Authentic German Potato Salad

Bacon gives this warm German potato salad recipe a boost of flavor. Vinegar and sugar in the dressing are the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

www.allrecipes.com

Thank you.

Mayonnaise and ketchup and mustard, and relish: no, no, no, no.

And, no special sauce on that sesame seed bun either!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thank you, Trecile, for being helpful, but I have never been a fan of German potato salad. I've had it at potlucks and it's the vinegar in them I struggle with, along with their warm temperature.
I guess I am just a die hard mayo fan and a bit too old to change.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thank you.

Mayonnaise and ketchup and mustard, and relish: no, no, no, no.

And, no special sauce on that sesame seed bun either!

My friend, it sounds like you eat very dry sandwiches and hamburgers...where's the goo!

 

[nycwalking]

My friend, it sounds like you eat very dry sandwiches and hamburgers...where's the goo!

In or on other people’s food.