Give us a Gift!!

[Jakke]

How and why?
Please, share with us what food you really missed on your camino.
By doing so, you create a list of food that must be worth trying!

I very much missed dark Finnish rye bread.

(With thanks to the peregrino, who admitted missing peanut butter)

 

[Jakke]

The Pilgrim is John Hamilton. Gracias, John!

 

[Davey Boyd]

Very spicy Indian curry and English fish and chips!

 

[SabsP]

Decent twice fried Belgian frites aka chips. The only cooking method the Spaniards do less well than us Belgians.

For the rest : if you step away from the menu peregrino and choose a menu del dia you will be in for a treat.
Or even better : go for some lovely pintxos.

But yes : Belgian fries with a dollop of homemade mayonaise ( ketchup is for children ).

 

[Tincatinker]

Brown beer. Proper, cask conditioned, dry hopped, beer. There was a bar in Leon where they had a Pump Badge from my local Dark Star brewery. I could have wept when I realised that that was all they did have - a pump badge....

 

[David]

Any good English cuisine .. steak and kidney pie, cottage pie, shepherds pie, steak and beer steamed suet pudding, Real! roast potatoes, roast beef with gravy and roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings and al dente fresh veg, battered cod and chips and mushy peas - a genuine proper English breakfast, complete with fried bread and black pudding and real strong hot tea in a big big mug - but for a quick hot snack, sorely missed - a genuine Cornish Pasty!!

This one is made by Crantocks, in Cornwall (and they are Fab!)



Then we have English desserts (which the lower classes name sweets and the upper pudding) - jam roly-poly and custard, spotted dick and custard, treacle tart and custard or thick thick double cream - oh, talking of cream - a proper west country clotted cream tea!!

Dang! I'm hungry now - here I am, sitting in Spain .. bocadillo with that processed ham and rubber cheese and bread crust that is so sharp it cuts the gums, nooo, not again, the ghastly tasteless rubbery tortilla, frozen paella fast heated and served quickly ... weird rubbery cheeses - no hard cheddar! - dang - think I may go home! I'm hungry for home!!

p.s. Yes, I know I have now insulted every Spanish person - but the question was about what we miss and I do miss all of the above and, I do try different Spanish dishes, I think the best meal of my life was in a little family restaurant in Burgos, down a small lane - my criticisms were for the cheap 'snacks' that are everywhere (in the UK we have Greggs - don't buy their food!!). Buen Camino - I Love Spain and the Spanish people!!

 

[Tincatinker]

here I am, sitting in Spain

So nothing else really matters does it David?

Buen camino amigo

 

[simply B]

Usually about three weeks in the cravings for spicy Szechuan, Thai, or Korean dishes kick in. I let "monkey mind" chatter over their absence for a few days and move onto appreciating whatever "new and different" menu items that I can find where I am.

This is not a knock on Spanish cuisine. I have made notes while I ate there and brought home several menu items to "reverse engineer" for my family to enjoy.

B

 

[David]

So nothing else really matters does it David?

Buen camino amigo

Ah, Tincatinker! you would think so wouldn't you - I sold up and am moving to South Wales, Port Talbot, and house is taking ages to go through, have been living in my ancient motorhome for nearly three and a half months now .... am in Altea, 20 yards from the beach - but have been to all the markets more than once, I am single and aged so don't go out and/or beer party in the evenings, and have seen all the churches and lit all the candles and walked some of the trails, but, well, I am a bit of a rubbish tourist really!

Funnily enough I have just put a post up asking for pilgrim numbers in Feb from St Jean and Pamplona - although it is much colder up there I have all my first aid gear on board and was wondering if there were enough pilgrims right now that it would be worth me going up and looking for victims (sorry, I meant casualties)

 

[Tincatinker]

David, I wish you good fortune. And there will always be victims (sorry, meant pilgrims) in want of your tender care.

May the sun always shine upon you

 

[Camino Chrissy]

David, we often read about the wonderful ham and cheeses of Spain. So are you saying that the one euro packages many pilgrims (including me) purchase in the tiendas are filled with processed ham and rubbery cheese? The shame of it all!

Oh, and a little tip someone gave me when biting into the hard bocadillas is to eat them upside down which doesn't cut the roof of our mouths as easily.

That all said, I really did love your post, and all your food descriptions had me salivating! Gotta go, heading to the refrigerator so I can think of something special to make for dinner!

P.S. I mostly missed having a good juicy hamburger on the Camino...along with too many other foods to mention!

 

[jsalt]

which the lower classes name sweets and the upper pudding

Ha ha!!
You missed out Toad in the Hole (my favourite school "dinner"), and Beans on Toast (what I usually had for supper) .
Jill

 

[David]

OOhhh .. this thread is terrible - Toad in the Hole - I WANT Toad in the Hole!!!

 

[Jakke]

Brown beer. Proper, cask conditioned, dry hopped, beer. There was a bar in Leon where they had a Pump Badge from my local Dark Star brewery. I could have wept when I realised that that was all they did have - a pump badge....

Autsch... that’s sad

 

[Camino Chrissy]

OOhhh .. this thread is terrible - Toad in the Hole - I WANT Toad in the Hole!!!

This thread is starting to digress...I think soon it may need to be moved to the "NOT a serious thread". Lol!

 

[RJM]

I found Spain to have good beer and wine, so no longing for that on the Camino.
Being someone that eats to live and not lives to eat, I never really missed any particular food. I rather enjoyed trying unique foods like the time in Pamplona during the week of San Fermin I went to one restaurant that had bull stew (from the ones running) on the menu. It tasted no different really than other beef stew I've had, but was definitely the most unique.

 

[David]

Just a point, Spain doesn't have 'beer' it has 'lager', the Brits have beer and it is a completely different drink.

 

[Sailor]

Rice? Beans? Pork? No, this is what I really missed!
-- Cheesecake
-- Pecan Pie
Oh my, feeling hungry now. Good luck, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[Theatregal]

Good full flavoured cup of tea made with loose leaf, not tea bags!!!

 

[nycwalking]

OOhhh .. this thread is terrible - Toad in the Hole - I WANT Toad in the Hole!!!

What in the world is: Toad in the Hole?

I missed hamburgers Not smothered in olive oil.

 

[JennyH94]

Terrific thread Jakke! Thank you!
Gosh - what do I miss the most? It's quite pathetic ... it's broccoli! ... simply steamed or microwaved, with butter, salt and pepper. I miss it each time I go away anywhere, quite frankly, and I long for it! It's generally available at the larger supermarkets but not at the small shops in the villages I've mostly stayed in, so I've missed eating my favourite vegetable for many weeks at times.
Cheers from Oz -
Jenny

 

[simply B]

Just a point, Spain doesn't have 'beer' it has 'lager', the Brits have beer and it is a completely different drink.

David, David, David...<deep sigh for effect>,

At the risk of rendering the thread even more "unserious" (not like there's anything wrong with that!), PLEASE do not force me to come to Spain and get all pedantic with you.

"Beer" is the family name for beverages prepared from hopped extractions of malted barley. The two groupings in the family are "ale" (to which you refer) and "lager" (for which you have apparent contempt).

Key differences between the two are NOT intended but derive from accidents of geography so one cannot disdain either style for their differences. (Though modern convenience and technology preserve the difference only because of cultural preference.)

The brewers in the UK (traditionally) have excellent waters (think "Burton-on-Trent"), but not cold enough winters, for making flavorful dark ales but NOT lagers. (Ale yeast are "top-fermenters" and thrive at warmer temperatures than lager yeast.)

Across the Channel into Central Europe, conditions of both water mineralization and winter temperatures in the cellar favored the production of lagers. (Lager yeasts are "bottom fermenters" and are more suited to colder temperatures.)

We all have "beer". Some prefer "ale", others "lager". As you, I prefer the former but as a wise Roman once said "De gustibus non disputandum".

I hope this helps those dear readers who might have been confused by David's lack of precision in this matter.

B

PS. Yes, I have been brewing for almost 40 years, I do have Asperger's and, also, I had a couple glasses of Rioja's 'vino tinto' while I composed my response.

PPS. Good luck with completing your move, David, I know how stressful that can be! [Edit] While in Spain, do try the Estrella Galicia 1906...it may ("may") come close to your standards for flavor.

 

[VNwalking]

I'm laughing - so thank you, gentlemen.
I miss vegetables. But do well enough...I know I can eat as many pimentos de padron as I want once I get to Galicia. Come to think of it, when I'm anywhere else, I miss pimentos de padron. Ambrosia.

 

[simply B]

I'm laughing - so thank you, gentlemen.
I miss vegetables. But do well enough...I know I can eat as many pimentos de padron as I want once I get to Galicia. Come to think of it, when I'm anywhere else, I miss pimentos de padron. Ambrosia.

YES to 'Pimentos de Padron'!!!! Maybe someone could start THAT thread of what food is missed when "off the Camino"? I am currently on deadline to feed the dog and prepare the evening meal for my bride of four decades. (The pressure is incredible.)

B

 

[Kanga]

Oh no @David - Toad in the Hole, how could you? The most revolting food ever inflicted by the English on their poor suffering, other-side-of-the-world cultural inheritors. Meatless sausages (OK, a bit of pureed intestine is probably in there somewhere) cooked in stodgy batter!

 

[simply B]

Oh no @David - Toad in the Hole, how could you? The most revolting food ever inflicted by the English on their poor suffering, other-side-of-the-world cultural inheritors. Meatless sausages (OK, a bit of pureed intestine is probably in there somewhere) cooked in stodgy batter!

@Kanga -

I am one of those English-speakers "...divided by a common language...".

Did you mean "dodgy" batter rather than "stodgy"?

B

 

[Diane Booth]

Decent twice fried Belgian frites aka chips. The only cooking method the Spaniards do less well than us Belgians.

For the rest : if you step away from the menu peregrino and choose a menu del dia you will be in for a treat.
Or even better : go for some lovely pintxos.

But yes : Belgian fries with a dollop of homemade mayonaise ( ketchup is for children ).

Andalouse....and lot's of it.... best chips I've ever had in my life were in Belgium, ahhhhh sweet memories of beautiful Belgium.

 

[VNwalking]

Did you mean "dodgy" batter rather than "stodgy"?

No, she's right. That batter is definitely stodgy.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Just a point, Spain doesn't have 'beer' it has 'lager', the Brits have beer and it is a completely different drink.

The Brits are not the only one with beer .
I would say,book yourself a beer tour agros Belgium and drink some great beers.

With Belgium frites or Zuurvlees of course.

Wish you well,Peter.

 

[HedaP]

Plain rice but not enough to carry a rice cooker.

 

[SabsP]

The Brits are not the only one with beer .
I would say,book yourself a beer tour agros Belgium and drink some great beers.

With Belgium frites or Zuurvlees of course.

Wish you well,Peter.

Ha Peter, glad you are not promoting your Dutch beer......Just kidding . You guys actually have some nice micro breweries lately. And the Gulpener lager is half decent

And yum a big thumbs up for the Dutch zuurvleis!!

 

[Jakke]

HedaP --
Wow! Really? We Westerners usually seem to think rice requires spice. I must admit, I have never really tried to taste rice without any additions. I promise to do so soon!
Ah, yes... although, did you mean zuurkool (Sauerkraut)? Then there is the marvelous Boerenkool (mashed potatoes and kale, completed with smoked sausages)...

 

[simeon]

Vegetables. No sorry chips, and potatoes are not vegetables where dinner is concerned they are carbs. I'm talking fresh vegetables.

 

[Jakke]

Simeon, I agree and disagree. I love vegetables, but I usually have had no problem finding those in Spain.

 

[David]

SimpleyB you are, of course, absolutely correct re beers and ales and lagers - hey! I don't hold golden lager in contempt, just prefer warm brown beer! and Belgium, Holland, they have good beers - though I think that you would call them ales.

It is true that our homegrown beers are actually ales but it is not how we name them in the UK. In the UK there are many beers, named beer - brown and not cooled and delivered 'on tap' out of barrels. There are also ales, usually a darker brown, which come in small bottles and most are made now by small speciality brewers. Then there is golden 'lager' also known in the UK as Eurofizz.
Now, don't get me wrong, a lager of good quality - yes, Estrella comes to mind - whether in Spain or Australia - ice cold on a super hot day - there is nothing like it, nothing at all!

I think the film Ice cold in Alex might have been unintentially the best lager advert ever.



It is the colloquial thing isn't it? Aussies say beer but drink lager, Brits say beer and do not mean ale (unless they live in the 15th century) ... ah well ....

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Plain rice but not enough to carry a rice cooker.

And there is the rice cooker again.

 

[Jakke]

The Brits are not the only one with beer .
I would say,book yourself a beer tour agros Belgium and drink some great beers.

With Belgium frites or Zuurvlees of course.

Wish you well,Peter.

Ahh... I learned something again! So, no -- not zuurkool but meat marinated in vinigar. I grew up in Haarlem, too far away from Limburg. I'll need to try zuurvlees when I am in Holland again!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Ahh... I learned something again! So, no -- not zuurkool but meat marinated in vinigar. I grew up in Haarlem, too far away from Limburg. I'll need to try zuurvlees when I am in Holland again!

Coming from the US, you are "speaking Greek" to me as I've never heard of these European towns or foods before, therefore can offer no opinions.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

In the US, all types of beer are still called "beer", then defined by category.... lager, ale, IPA, stout, craft, etc.

 

[Jakke]

Coming from the US, you are "speaking Greek" to me as I've never heard of these European towns or foods before, therefore can offer no opinions.

It's only double Dutch. Don't worry. Just believe me when I say that zuurkool is delicious. And that we don't always need opinions

 

[Jakke]

Coming from the US, you are "speaking Greek" to me as I've never heard of these European towns or foods before, therefore can offer no opinions.

and... I think you have heard of Ha(a)rlem in what used to be called New Amsterdam? Limburg is a province in Holland with a Bourgondian culture (per definition great food). It is in the South-East of the country, whereas Haarlem is in the North-West.
More onions, fewer opinions!

 

[SabsP]

and... I think you have heard of Ha(a)rlem in what used to be called New Amsterdam? Limburg is a province in Holland with a Bourgondian culture (per definition great food). It is in the South-East of the country, whereas Haarlem is in the North-West.
More onions, fewer opinions!

And then there is also a Belgian Limburg...
And the dutch zuurvleis is almost as good as our belgian stoofvlees
Only we prepare it with Trappist beer and mustard.

 

[Jakke]

And then there is also a Belgian Limburg...
And the dutch zuurvleis is almost as good as our belgian stoofvlees
Only we prepare it with Trappist beer and mustard.

Sabine, here is a good site with Dutch zuurvlees much the way you prepare it: http://www.smulweb.nl/recepten/940998/Zuurvlees

 

[SabsP]

Sabine, here is a good site with Dutch zuurvlees much the way you prepare it: http://www.smulweb.nl/recepten/940998/Zuurvlees

Yep ok-ish but not my family recipe..

 

[Jakke]

Yep ok-ish but not my family recipe..

So, would you share your family's recipe?

 

[SabsP]

So, would you share your family's recipe?

Here you go. I posted it earlier somewhere else.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/waiting-for-pilgrims-in-zamora.52014/#post-574178

 

[Camino Chrissy]

and... I think you have heard of Ha(a)rlem in what used to be called New Amsterdam? Limburg is a province in Holland with a Bourgondian culture (per definition great food). It is in the South-East of the country, whereas Haarlem is in the North-West.
More onions, fewer opinions!

Yes, Harlem, NY, and "double Dutch" here is an outdoor game with two jump ropes going at once.

 

[simply B]

The Brits are not the only one with beer .
I would say,book yourself a beer tour agros Belgium and drink some great beers.

With Belgium frites or Zuurvlees of course.

Wish you well,Peter.

Amen, Peter!

Belgium, IMHO, is the "Living Louvre of Beer". More independent beer styles per square kilometer than anywhere else on earth. Sadly, my favorite style (Geueze) is not readily available in the States.

B

 

[Sixwheeler]

Any good English cuisine .. steak and kidney pie, cottage pie, shepherds pie, steak and beer steamed suet pudding, Real! roast potatoes, roast beef with gravy and roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings and al dente fresh veg, battered cod and chips and mushy peas - a genuine proper English breakfast, complete with fried bread and black pudding and real strong hot tea in a big big mug - but for a quick hot snack, sorely missed - a genuine Cornish Pasty!!

This one is made by Crantocks, in Cornwall (and they are Fab!)

View attachment 39474

Then we have English desserts (which the lower classes name sweets and the upper pudding) - jam roly-poly and custard, spotted dick and custard, treacle tart and custard or thick thick double cream - oh, talking of cream - a proper west country clotted cream tea!!

Dang! I'm hungry now - here I am, sitting in Spain .. bocadillo with that processed ham and rubber cheese and bread crust that is so sharp it cuts the gums, nooo, not again, the ghastly tasteless rubbery tortilla, frozen paella fast heated and served quickly ... weird rubbery cheeses - no hard cheddar! - dang - think I may go home! I'm hungry for home!!

p.s. Yes, I know I have now insulted every Spanish person - but the question was about what we miss and I do miss all of the above and, I do try different Spanish dishes, I think the best meal of my life was in a little family restaurant in Burgos, down a small lane - my criticisms were for the cheap 'snacks' that are everywhere (in the UK we have Greggs - don't buy their food!!). Buen Camino - I Love Spain and the Spanish people!!

Reading this at 10.30pm in bed and now I'm having to get up and raid the fridge. Well done David and you're dead right.

 

[HikingGeo]

Granted we only did Sarria to Santiago and then Lires to Fisterre, but I thought the food was great. We did not do albuerges, so maybe that was the difference. Prawns, Galician soup, Paella, pulpo, no complaints here. Yes the beer choices were quite limited until we found a great craft beer place in Santiago, but after 15 miles of walking, any beer or wine hit the spot.

 

[blueskywa]

Terrific thread Jakke! Thank you!
Gosh - what do I miss the most? It's quite pathetic ... it's broccoli! ... simply steamed or microwaved, with butter, salt and pepper. I miss it each time I go away anywhere, quite frankly, and I long for it! It's generally available at the larger supermarkets but not at the small shops in the villages I've mostly stayed in, so I've missed eating my favourite vegetable for many weeks at times.
Cheers from Oz -
Jenny

My absolute fav too Jenny!! Or broccolini

 

[JennyH94]

My absolute fav too Jenny!! Or broccolini

Yes Loretta! Broccolini is the asparagus of broccoli! Sensational!
Cheers from Oz!

 

[blueskywa]

Yes Loretta! Broccolini is the asparagus of broccoli! Sensational!
Cheers from Oz!

Freshly cooked Asparagus.....tops too!! Delicious. Beats all this beer talk but I’m not averse to the vino Tinto! Cheers from Perth

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Amen, Peter!

Belgium, IMHO, is the "Living Louvre of Beer". More independent beer styles per square kilometer than anywhere else on earth. Sadly, my favorite style (Geueze) is not readily available in the States.

B

A nice Geueze for you , sorry could not resist it .
Wish you well , cheers .

 

[JennyH94]

Freshly cooked Asparagus.....tops too!! Delicious. Beats all this beer talk but I’m not averse to the vino Tinto! Cheers from Perth

I'm a Vino Tinto pilgrim too Loretta! As they say ... Vino Tinto is pilgrims' petrol!

 

[Jakke]

So, how many of you have actually made a real effort during one of your caminos to find what you are missing?


I can honestly say I did try hard to find (Pan de centeno oscuro) dark rye bread. No joy, but lots of giggles. It is not common in, e.g., the States either. However, I usually found some Scandinavian place where I managed to get it for a pretty high price. Help pilgrims find that French restaurant, English cafe, German Bäckerei or elusive Scandinavian speciality store!

 

[JennyH94]

So, how many of you have actually made a real effort during one of your caminos to find what you are missing?
View attachment 39567

I can honestly say I did try hard to find (Pan de centeno oscuro) dark rye bread. No joy, but lots of giggles. It is not common in, e.g., the States either. However, I usually found some Scandinavian place where I managed to get it for a pretty high price.

Jakke - good thought. I think that wistfully thinking of the foods and drinks that we regularly enjoy at home but can't easily have on the caminos somehow increases the value and the enjoyment of both of what we DO enjoy on the caminos and then go back to enjoying once at home. Now ... things I miss from my caminos ... that's the subject of another thread!!!
Cheers from Oz -
Jenny

 

[David Tallan]

I didn't really have any dishes I missed when I was on my camino but my son missed pizza (none we found when I tried to satisfy that craving were anywhere near what we have access to at home) and bagels.

My food disappointment was that I wanted to try some of the "non-Spanish" restaurants we saw in Spain, to get the Spanish take on Chinese, Thai, middle-eastern, or other cuisines. They weren't there when I was living in Spain in '89/'90. But my son wasn't willing. Why fly all the way to Spain to eat Chinese food was his thinking.

 

[domigee]

now .... am in Altea, 20 yards from the beach - but have been to all the markets more than once, I am single and aged so don't go out and/or beer party in the evenings, and have seen all the churches and lit all the candles and walked some of the trails

There are worse place to be Wish I had read this thread earlier, I was in your neighbourhood last week, would have come to say hello,

 

[David Tallan]

So, how many of you have actually made a real effort during one of your caminos to find what you are missing?

We tried a few pizza places to no avail. As for bagels, I wasn't able to find them on the Camino, but I did look up a bagel place afterwards in Barcelona and we got a few.

 

[Sailor]

We were not looking for one, but we found a good pizza place on the main road in Pedrouzo, saw a couple of locals eating there and we decided to try it . . . good pizza. Happy hunting, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.