Food & Dietary Restrictions on the Camino

[Unweekends]

What type of food/quality can be expected on the Camino? What do the locals eat in this region?

Is it eating at the Alberges for breakfast & dinner & then eating at restaurants for lunch along the way? Or is it all restaurants ( with no meals provided at Alberges)?

What kind of daily meal costs can I expect? I am budgeting $40 US dollars a day ($20 for alberges & $20 for meals). - is this about right, or do I need to adjust my budget?

Also I have dietary restrictions. I have a tree nut allergy ( can eat no nuts except for peanuts). I do have a Spanish language card to carry around to alert the staff. I am diabetic so must eat low/ no sugar & lower carb (rice is fine in moderation). I won't be able to eat pastries or coffee if it has sugar because of the high sugar & carbs. I am not allergic to seafood & pork, but I prefer to avoid those if possible.

 

[mochilaverde]

Most albergues don't serve meals, but this depends on your route. Some albergues have a kitchen (although the "kitchen" may not have pans or cooking utensils, just a microwave). Not every village has a restaurant (and restaurants often closed once a week for the staff to have a break), so it doesn't hurt to carry an emergency ration.

Many restaurants along the camino have a "pilgrim's menu" for dinner, typically a starter and a plate with a main dish. If you find other pilgrims to eat with, you can order dishes to share (which is how people generally dine out with family and friends in Spain). Look for tortilla (egg and potato), pimentos de Padron (little mild peppers charred in oil), ensalada de queso de cabra / rullo de cabra (goat cheese salad, request no nuts). Be aware that "frutos secos" is literally "dried fruits", but means nuts. Coffee is not served with sugar added. In a city, look for a vegetarian restaurant (there are at least three vegan places now in Santiago). Many traditional soups or stews with beans are unfortunately also made with pork, so it's nice to look for a place where you can try a pork-free version.

In bigger towns where there is a supermarket, you can stock up on food for a picnic. Look ahead the day before to see what supermarkets are available and what times they are open (many close for the afternoon siesta). I carried a small bottle of olive oil, a small bottle of balsamic syrup and salt- and I ate a lot of superb little supermarket tomatoes on bread or with salad greens. Carretilla microwave meals are not bad and the Ensalada de Quinoa is tasty without heating.

40 USD/day will be fine if you are staying in public albergues (10 euros/night) and making your own breakfast and lunch.

What regions does your camino route pass through? Read up on some of the regional dishes on wikipedia, eg:

Galician cuisine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Unweekends]

Most albergues don't serve meals, but this depends on your route. Some albergues have a kitchen (although the "kitchen" may not have pans or cooking utensils, just a microwave). Not every village has a restaurant (and restaurants often closed once a week for the staff to have a break), so it doesn't hurt to carry an emergency ration.

Many restaurants along the camino have a "pilgrim's menu" for dinner, typically a starter and a plate with a main dish. If you find other pilgrims to eat with, you can order dishes to share (which is how people generally dine out with family and friends in Spain). Look for tortilla (egg and potato), pimentos de Padron (little mild peppers charred in oil), ensalada de queso de cabra / rullo de cabra (goat cheese salad, request no nuts). Be aware that "frutos secos" is literally "dried fruits", but means nuts. Coffee is not served with sugar added. In a city, look for a vegetarian restaurant (there are at least three vegan places now in Santiago). Many traditional soups or stews with beans are unfortunately also made with pork, so it's nice to look for a place where you can try a pork-free version.

In bigger towns where there is a supermarket, you can stock up on food for a picnic. Look ahead the day before to see what supermarkets are available and what times they are open (many close for the afternoon siesta). I carried a small bottle of olive oil, a small bottle of balsamic syrup and salt- and I ate a lot of superb little supermarket tomatoes on bread or with salad greens. Carretilla microwave meals are not bad and the Ensalada de Quinoa is tasty without heating.

40 USD/day will be fine if you are staying in public albergues (10 euros/night) and making your own breakfast and lunch.

What regions does your camino route pass through? Read up on some of the regional dishes on wikipedia, eg:

Galician cuisine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thank you. I will be in a short Camino from Valenca Portugal to Santiago ( Camino Portuguese). I don't mind vegetarian food, but I have to be double cautious because they like to sneak in Almond milk or flour (at least in the USA).

 

[J Willhaus]

Santiago cake is made with almond flour so beware of that!

The area where you are walking uses a lot of pork and seafood. Cured pork products are another common food. Caldo Gallego, the soup common in this region, is a soup with beans and greens usually in a broth made with pork.

I carry Baby Bell cheeses because they are easy to find and store in my pack in their wax wrappers. I also make hard boiled eggs for breakfast and snacks. Due to lack of cookware in the albergues in Galicia, I bought a light pan to boil eggs last winter and carried it with me. You should also be be able to find yogurt which is a good breakfast option.