Gluten free food

[halka brunerova]

Hello, I am planning to start the camino frances in 2 or 3 weeks and I have to be on a gluten free diet. Does anyone has experience with that? Do the pilgrim menus have a gluten free option?
Any advice would be helpful, thank you

 

[Deacon Jason]

Halka,

No first hand experience, but from what I've read, finding gluten-free food in pilgrim menus is not very likely. You will probably need to rely on grocery shopping instead.

Grace+Peace

-Jason

 

[VNwalking]

Do the pilgrim menus have a gluten free option?

No, but they rarely have much in the way of gluten: usually soup, then meat/fish, veg/salad, and french fried potatoes, and fruit or yogurt for desert.
Of course stay away from the bread, but you know that.
If you're a vegetarian as well it would be harder....
Buen Camino, halka!

 

[halka brunerova]

Halka,

No first hand experience, but from what I've read, finding gluten-free food in pilgrim menus is not very likely. You will probably need to rely on grocery shopping instead.

Grace+Peace

-Jason

thank you!

 

[halka brunerova]

No, but they rarely have much in the way of gluten: usually soup, then meat/fish, veg/salad, and french fried potatoes, and fruit or yogurt for desert.
Of course stay away from the bread, but you know that.
If you're a vegetarian as well it would be harder....
Buen Camino, halka!

not a vegetarian, just gluten alllergy to even small traces. thanks so much!

 

[billmclaughlin]

I walked with someone who was eating gluten free without difficulty, but I don't know how sensitive he was.

Small traces? You'll need to be wary of soups that are sometimes thickened with bread (sopa de ajo). And while breaded fish will be obvious, the amount of flour used to brown meats, even for stews, is harder to determine.

Be sure to learn to communicate your precise needs in Spanish.

 

[halka brunerova]

I walked with someone who was eating gluten free without difficulty, but I don't know how sensitive he was.

Small traces? You'll need to be wary of soups that are sometimes thickened with bread (sopa de ajo). And while breaded fish will be obvious, the amount of flour used to brown meats, even for stews, is harder to determine.

Be sure to learn to communicate your precise needs in Spanish.

I can get buy in Spanish. The small traces and hidden things is what I am mostly worried about, in US its easy , but I know Europe does not really have many people with that problem, so was sort of curios how and if Spain even deals with that at all… thank you for the info!

 

[BeatriceKarjalainen]

I'm gluten intolerant but handles traces. And I found it really hard to find food (but I have some other allergies as well complicating things). Tuna salad will always work in the bars but the French fries are fried in the same oil as croquettes and other bread based things so ask or check menu carefully. The fish is often panned or at least rolled in wheat flour Meat without sauce is normally without flour and soups but you have to ask. Tortilla is mainly made without flour but as I always ask I sometimes is denied to buy it.

Not all stores carries gluten free things as bread and pasta but larger stores normally do. Restaurants are better than bars to have options for gluten free.

Of all the routes I have done Camino Francés was at least the easiest one when it came to food. They are more customed to us than on other routed with fewer pulgrims.

If I carries bread I asked for a plate of ham and cheese in the bars and made my own sandwiches. On this camino (Norte) my breakfast was often nuts and baby bell cheese.

Get a card with your intolerance written in Spanish. I got a friend to translate for me as I have other allergies as well otherwise there are some cards to find on the internet. Learn a few phrases in Spanish. Sometimes they don't understand sin gluten as they don't know what gluten is but celiaci then know about.

Buen Camino and good luck with the food.

 

[aisbr]

Hi i'm coeliac & survived this years camino with only two "episodes". I do react quiet badly to gluten. For safety on the pilgrim menus i used to stick to the ensalata mixta for starters & flan for desert but used to get some variety for mains. I always bought my own breakfast of fruit & yogurts & juice & had it in the hostels before leaving in the morning. I also brought some gluten free oat biscuits from home for week 1 & after that stocked up on a gluten free digestive type biscuit (in most supermarkets & small stores - brand "maria"). These were handy for a snack with coffee along the way. Tortilla espanol is available in most coffee stops but not always gluten free so be warned. Corn cakes & rice cakes available in most stores too. I also cooked in hostels occasionally to have a break from the pilgrim menus. Keep an eye out for a gluten free menu in puenta la reina on main st on right hand side & also in Herrarias (last bar before leaving village) - called casa de ferrerio (or something similar). I also got a great surprise to find gluten free bread in albergue moratinos & gluten free tarta de santiago. I have attached a pic of the albergue so you dont miss it. Also in rabanal i came across a restaurant that had a menu with gluten free symbols which was very helpful & a rarity. I have attached the details of the restaurant too.

I never went hungry on the camino but did restrict what i ate to avoid any problems. Good luck with it buen camino.

 

[julia-t]

I'm worried.

My gluten-free, dairy-free, soya-free daughter is suggesting she would like to walk with me from Sarria to Santiago next year - I plan to arrive on my 60th birthday.

While I am totally delighted she would even consider walking with her old mum for 100km, I don't want to dissuade her, but her dietary needs have me concerned. I've not mentioned this to her as yet, because it's still only at the 'idea' stage.

It would mean she would find the albergue bathroom situation difficult so we'd be looking at private rooms. And - to my mind the worst problem! - is she hates tinned tuna so ensalata mista will not be an option!

But we will manage - probably by flying over with her 6 days worth of stuff she can eat, and sending it forward with jacotrans each day.

BTW, www.dietarycard.com is an excellent company for such cards. Never rely on google translate for such things.

 

[BeatriceKarjalainen]

I'm worried.

My gluten-free, dairy-free, soya-free daughter is suggesting she would like to walk with me from Sarria to Santiago next year - I plan to arrive on my 60th birthday.

While I am totally delighted she would even consider walking with her old mum for 100km, I don't want to dissuade her, but her dietary needs have me concerned. I've not mentioned this to her as yet, because it's still only at the 'idea' stage.

It would mean she would find the albergue bathroom situation difficult so we'd be looking at private rooms. And - to my mind the worst problem! - is she hates tinned tuna so ensalata mista will not be an option!

But we will manage - probably by flying over with her 6 days worth of stuff she can eat, and sending it forward with jacotrans each day.

BTW, www.dietarycard.com is an excellent company for such cards. Never rely on google translate for such things.

When having diet restrictions you just have to plan more and carry more. And as you are two you can carry half of it.

 

[SYates]

I'm worried.

My gluten-free, dairy-free, soya-free daughter is suggesting she would like to walk with me from Sarria to Santiago next year - I plan to arrive on my 60th birthday.

While I am totally delighted she would even consider walking with her old mum for 100km, I don't want to dissuade her, but her dietary needs have me concerned. I've not mentioned this to her as yet, because it's still only at the 'idea' stage.

It would mean she would find the albergue bathroom situation difficult so we'd be looking at private rooms. And - to my mind the worst problem! - is she hates tinned tuna so ensalata mista will not be an option!

But we will manage - probably by flying over with her 6 days worth of stuff she can eat, and sending it forward with jacotrans each day.

BTW, www.dietarycard.com is an excellent company for such cards. Never rely on google translate for such things.

I fail to see how the 'albergue bathroom situation' comes into this ;-) But - also Spanish people suffer from food intolerance, so her dietary restrictions are not unknown in Spain.
No need to carry a week supply of food, there are plenty of fried fish/seafood/meat plus fresh veggies and fruit around to keep her happy. Buen Camino, SY

 

[notion900]

You could buy a big cool bag, shop from supermarkets where you can, and send it forward each day. Don't assume you can bring any foodstuffs you want into the EU. I don't know about Spain specifically, but there are restrictions bringing it into the UK - look it up beforehand.

Just to warn you, if you ask people what's in the food, they often don't know, or they say what they think you want to hear. I recently asked a man 'What's in the croquette?', he said 'I don't know, it's a croquette', as if anything under breadcrumbs was intentionally a mystery. The 'meat in small pieces doesn't count' philosophy is also a well known to vegetarians.

 

[Meg Worland]

Hello, I am planning to start the camino frances in 2 or 3 weeks and I have to be on a gluten free diet. Does anyone has experience with that? Do the pilgrim menus have a gluten free option?
Any advice would be helpful, thank you

I found the pilgrim menus catered well to my gluten-free needs. I had to skip a number of desserts though. My breakfast was usually Rice thins with a banana followed by tortilla de patatas (potato fritatta or omelette) when I found my first coffee stop mid-morning or lunch. It takes a bit of searching, but I found grocery shops along the way which supplied a variety of nibbles / lunch such as Rice Thins, ham and cheese slices, gluten free sweet biscuits, nuts and chocolate. If you start in SJPP do get supplies for a few days and carry with you. Two years go I could get nothing suitable for breakfast at Orisson where only bread was supplied with various spreads and plentiful coffee. I did not cook any of my own meals in albergues but still ate well enough along the way. Loved the Tarta de Santiago once I reached Galicia - this made up for all the desserts I had missed. Most of the Cervesa is wheat-based. Basically it would pay to take an Spanish - English dictionary which will help when checking ingredients on anything you are not sure of. Buen Camino!

 

[GreatDane]

I am not GF but my daughter in law is so I keep an eye out for GF products. In a lot of the mid to large CF grocery stores I noticed a good selection of "Sin Gluten" products. A lot of times entire end caps devoted to Sin Gluten. If the products don't say Sin Gluten they will have a logo with a wheat stalk with a line through it.

 

[momof34man]

I walked the Camino Frances April - June 2016 with a gluten free diet. I made cards and laminated them. I printed them from this site: http://www.celiactravel.com/cards/spanish/ While on the camino, I lost my card. I had to learn to communicate my needs to them early on. "Sin Gluten" is one of those phrases to learn. Also if you could let them know that are celiac. They are more likely to understand celiac than gluten allergy or gluten intolerance. I relied pretty heavily on eating from my pack during the day. (nuts and fruit) The tortilla is gluten free, but be CLEAR when you ask for it that you say "no pan". They will put your tortilla either with bread, or sandwiched in between two slices of bread if you do not mention anything. I found two places that served me exclusively gluten free food. One of the places had a sign that said "celiac friendly". The photo someone posted above I believe is "Albergue de Perigrinos Hospital San Bruno" in Moratinos. I stayed there on my camino and was pleasantly surprised with being able to eat gluten free pasta during our communal meal as well as gluten free bread. There was one other place that I was able to eat relatively safely on the camino further down the road. It is in Arzua. I believe it is a restaurant that is part of an albergue. Below is the business card, and photos of my gluten free food. There are a few stores that offer you some kind of alternative to bread. I ate a lot of rice cakes. Just outside of Roncesvalles, there is a cafe with a store just across the street from it. (I can't remember the name, but it is the first cafe and store as you leave Roncesvalles. In that store they have quite a few Gfree options. I bought a box of crackers that lasted me quite a while. (Schaar brand crackers, cookies, etc.)

 

[momof34man]

I'm worried.

My gluten-free, dairy-free, soya-free daughter is suggesting she would like to walk with me from Sarria to Santiago next year - I plan to arrive on my 60th birthday.

While I am totally delighted she would even consider walking with her old mum for 100km, I don't want to dissuade her, but her dietary needs have me concerned. I've not mentioned this to her as yet, because it's still only at the 'idea' stage.

It would mean she would find the albergue bathroom situation difficult so we'd be looking at private rooms. And - to my mind the worst problem! - is she hates tinned tuna so ensalata mista will not be an option!

But we will manage - probably by flying over with her 6 days worth of stuff she can eat, and sending it forward with jacotrans each day.

BTW, www.dietarycard.com is an excellent company for such cards. Never rely on google translate for such things.

She could still do the ensalata mixita. Just don't forget to say "sin atun" (no tuna). I had a friend with me on the camino who didn't like the tuna either (or any fish).

 

[halka brunerova]

I'm gluten intolerant but handles traces. And I found it really hard to find food (but I have some other allergies as well complicating things). Tuna salad will always work in the bars but the French fries are fried in the same oil as croquettes and other bread based things so ask or check menu carefully. The fish is often panned or at least rolled in wheat flour Meat without sauce is normally without flour and soups but you have to ask. Tortilla is mainly made without flour but as I always ask I sometimes is denied to buy it.

Not all stores carries gluten free things as bread and pasta but larger stores normally do. Restaurants are better than bars to have options for gluten free.

Of all the routes I have done Camino Francés was at least the easiest one when it came to food. They are more customed to us than on other routed with fewer pulgrims.

If I carries bread I asked for a plate of ham and cheese in the bars and made my own sandwiches. On this camino (Norte) my breakfast was often nuts and baby bell cheese.

Get a card with your intolerance written in Spanish. I got a friend to translate for me as I have other allergies as well otherwise there are some cards to find on the internet. Learn a few phrases in Spanish. Sometimes they don't understand sin gluten as they don't know what gluten is but celiaci then know about.

Buen Camino and good luck with the food.

Thank u so much this is all great info. Its just not easy to travel with food alergies and special.diet, is it! I also have more , but will just deal with gluten. But its inspiring to hear u were able to do it so I should be too .! Thanks

 

[halka brunerova]

I walked the Camino Frances April - June 2016 with a gluten free diet. I made cards and laminated them. I printed them from this site: http://www.celiactravel.com/cards/spanish/ While on the camino, I lost my card. I had to learn to communicate my needs to them early on. "Sin Gluten" is one of those phrases to learn. Also if you could let them know that are celiac. They are more likely to understand celiac than gluten allergy or gluten intolerance. I relied pretty heavily on eating from my pack during the day. (nuts and fruit) The tortilla is gluten free, but be CLEAR when you ask for it that you say "no pan". They will put your tortilla either with bread, or sandwiched in between two slices of bread if you do not mention anything. I found two places that served me exclusively gluten free food. One of the places had a sign that said "celiac friendly". The photo someone posted above I believe is "Albergue de Perigrinos Hospital San Bruno" in Moratinos. I stayed there on my camino and was pleasantly surprised with being able to eat gluten free pasta during our communal meal as well as gluten free bread. There was one other place that I was able to eat relatively safely on the camino further down the road. It is in Arzua. I believe it is a restaurant that is part of an albergue. Below is the business card, and photos of my gluten free food. There are a few stores that offer you some kind of alternative to bread. I ate a lot of rice cakes. Just outside of Roncesvalles, there is a cafe with a store just across the street from it. (I can't remember the name, but it is the first cafe and store as you leave Roncesvalles. In that store they have quite a few Gfree options. I bought a box of crackers that lasted me quite a while. (Schaar brand crackers, cookies, etc.)

Awesome this is great thank u!

 

[halka brunerova]

I am not GF but my daughter in law is so I keep an eye out for GF products. In a lot of the mid to large CF grocery stores I noticed a good selection of "Sin Gluten" products. A lot of times entire end caps devoted to Sin Gluten. If the products don't say Sin Gluten they will have a logo with a wheat stalk with a line through it.

Ok will do thanks ao much!

 

[halka brunerova]

I found the pilgrim menus catered well to my gluten-free needs. I had to skip a number of desserts though. My breakfast was usually Rice thins with a banana followed by tortilla de patatas (potato fritatta or omelette) when I found my first coffee stop mid-morning or lunch. It takes a bit of searching, but I found grocery shops along the way which supplied a variety of nibbles / lunch such as Rice Thins, ham and cheese slices, gluten free sweet biscuits, nuts and chocolate. If you start in SJPP do get supplies for a few days and carry with you. Two years go I could get nothing suitable for breakfast at Orisson where only bread was supplied with various spreads and plentiful coffee. I did not cook any of my own meals in albergues but still ate well enough along the way. Loved the Tarta de Santiago once I reached Galicia - this made up for all the desserts I had missed. Most of the Cervesa is wheat-based. Basically it would pay to take an Spanish - English dictionary which will help when checking ingredients on anything you are not sure of. Buen Camino!

Thia ia great to hear I fwwl much more relaxws about it thanka for all the info!

 

[halka brunerova]

You could buy a big cool bag, shop from supermarkets where you can, and send it forward each day. Don't assume you can bring any foodstuffs you want into the EU. I don't know about Spain specifically, but there are restrictions bringing it into the UK - look it up beforehand.

Just to warn you, if you ask people what's in the food, they often don't know, or they say what they think you want to hear. I recently asked a man 'What's in the croquette?', he said 'I don't know, it's a croquette', as if anything under breadcrumbs was intentionally a mystery. The 'meat in small pieces doesn't count' philosophy is also a well known to vegetarians.

Lol ok will do thanks

 

[halka brunerova]

Hi i'm coeliac & survived this years camino with only two "episodes". I do react quiet badly to gluten. For safety on the pilgrim menus i used to stick to the ensalata mixta for starters & flan for desert but used to get some variety for mains. I always bought my own breakfast of fruit & yogurts & juice & had it in the hostels before leaving in the morning. I also brought some gluten free oat biscuits from home for week 1 & after that stocked up on a gluten free digestive type biscuit (in most supermarkets & small stores - brand "maria"). These were handy for a snack with coffee along the way. Tortilla espanol is available in most coffee stops but not always gluten free so be warned. Corn cakes & rice cakes available in most stores too. I also cooked in hostels occasionally to have a break from the pilgrim menus. Keep an eye out for a gluten free menu in puenta la reina on main st on right hand side & also in Herrarias (last bar before leaving village) - called casa de ferrerio (or something similar). I also got a great surprise to find gluten free bread in albergue moratinos & gluten free tarta de santiago. I have attached a pic of the albergue so you dont miss it. Also in rabanal i came across a restaurant that had a menu with gluten free symbols which was very helpful & a rarity. I have attached the details of the restaurant too.

I never went hungry on the camino but did restrict what i ate to avoid any problems. Good luck with it buen camino.

Thank you!!!!

 

[julia-t]

Thank you for all the information, it's much appreciated.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Meats, cheese, fruit, olives, salads.
See my blog for food on the Camino.
You should be fine.
http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/08/lunch-on-camino-santiago.html

However, that said, I cannot eat wheat in the USA but have no problems with Spanish wheat.
You might want to take a chance and at least try.
It's a totally different strain of wheat and is much cleaner.

 

[long trails]

Rest assured there will be as many Europeans who have intolerance to glutton as anywhere else.

 

[julia-t]

Rest assured there will be as many Europeans who have intolerance to glutton as anywhere else.

Absolutely. We are British and it's a big problem here. But for my daughter is's not just Gluten - if it were I'd not be particularly bothered or worried. It's that she can't eat dairy or soya either.

This isn't a problem at home when preparing her own food, but I can forsee it causing potential issues if she does walk with me.

And as for...

fail to see how the 'albergue bathroom situation' comes into this

If you have never suffered from digestive problems you would not understand the often very urgent need to have instant and immediate access to a bathroom, particularly early in the morning. It also can happen at any time, the diarrhoea can be extreme and sometimes uncontrollable. Hope this is not too much information in answer to your comment!
"

 

[SYates]

...
If you have never suffered from digestive problems you would not understand the often very urgent need to have instant and immediate access to a bathroom, particularly early in the morning. It also can happen at any time, the diarrhoea can be extreme and sometimes uncontrollable. Hope this is not too much information in answer to your comment!
"

Sorry, now I understand it! A lot of albergues, at least the newer commercial ones, are required by law to have a disabled room and bathroom (which is often closed to other pilgrims). If you take a translated explanation with you, chances are good that your daughter gets exclusive access to these bathrooms where they exist. Buen Camino, SY

 

[bkrey]

I offer the following comments with every caveat imaginable as I do not want anyone to suffer any health issues because of them...
I have been gluten intolerant from birth, prior to walking the Camino my naturopath suggested I try some of the bread in Europe as apparently there is some difference between North American and European wheat. I ate a little at first and with no side effects ended up eating everything on the menu del dias as well as those large boccadillos, felt fine the entire journey. I hesitate to attribute it all to grain differences since the pilgrim lifestyle is such a radical departure from my normal eating and exercise routines, however it does bear some thinking about for those in similar circumstances.

 

[Sandra Ashby]

I offer the following comments with every caveat imaginable as I do not want anyone to suffer any health issues because of them...
I have been gluten intolerant from birth, prior to walking the Camino my naturopath suggested I try some of the bread in Europe as apparently there is some difference between North American and European wheat. I ate a little at first and with no side effects ended up eating everything on the menu del dias as well as those large boccadillos, felt fine the entire journey. I hesitate to attribute it all to grain differences since the pilgrim lifestyle is such a radical departure from my normal eating and exercise routines, however it does bear some thinking about for those in similar circumstances.

This is very interesting....I too have had a gluten intolerance for a very long time. I will give it a try. Going on the Camino in a week. I do not want to carry a lot of food. I also have a tree fruit and nut allergy. I really do not want my guts and allergies to be a focus on the Camino.....just exercise some caution....but I would like to experiment a little. Thanks for your input.

 

[craigmiller]

Hello, I am planning to start the camino frances in 2 or 3 weeks and I have to be on a gluten free diet. Does anyone has experience with that? Do the pilgrim menus have a gluten free option?
Any advice would be helpful, thank you

My wife is allergic to wheat gluten and milk. She carries a small laminated card describing her condition, in Spanish. Before she orders a meal she shows the card to the waiter who usually consults with the cook about which menu items are safe. We have found that restaurants are often familiar with her condition and their staffs are very helpful. There are almost always some menu choices that she can have.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Thank you All for the education!!!

 

[CEBowne]

Hello, I am planning to start the camino frances in 2 or 3 weeks and I have to be on a gluten free diet. Does anyone has experience with that? Do the pilgrim menus have a gluten free option?
Any advice would be helpful, thank you

Hello - In 2014, my husband and I traveled from Ponferrado to Santiago de Compostela, and on to Finnisterre... and, last year, we traveled part of the Camino del Norte, and then the Camino Primitive. I had little problem my strict gluten free diet.... The only meal we ate out was our evening meal.... I learned to say I am celiac (Soy celiaca).... even though I am not, but now my Spanish is better so I can probably explain my condition. I had no difficulty, and the foods and soups are generally made from scratch so the cooks know what was in them. (The only time I got really sick was from a pre-made Spanish Omelet (which should have just potatoes and eggs), but I am assuming had a bit of flour....

I found foods for the most part simple, nicely seasoned... and fresh...

We generally ate the pilgrim meal in a restaurant.... There were soups that I could not eat in the Basque region.... but in Astorias, Cantabria and especially Galicia it was generally easy....

 

[Sandra Ashby]

We
My wife is allergic to wheat gluten. She carries a small laminated card describing her condition, in Spanish. Before she orders a meal she shows the card to the waiter who usually consults with the cook about which menu items are safe. We have found that restaurants are surprisingly familiar with her condition and are their staffs are very helpful. There is almost always some menu choices that she can have.

Thank you for letting me know.