Can I eat vegetarian while walking the Camino de Santiago?

Walking the Camino de Santiago as a vegetarian can be both an enriching and challenging experience. Spain is known for its love of cured meats, seafood, and hearty stews. The Spanish are passionate about their food, which varies from region to region. They generally don’t understand the concept of vegetarianism as they do not class cured meat (jamon) or even chicken as meat.

With a bit of planning and flexibility, you’ll find a variety of simple, fresh foods like tortilla española (potato omelet), pimientos de padrón (fried green peppers), and plenty of fresh bread and salads along the way. Embracing the Camino’s vegetarian-friendly options and getting creative with local produce can help connect you with the local culture and fellow pilgrims.

The following phrases will be very helpful to vegetarian pilgrims:

• I’m vegetarian – Soy vegeteriano/a
• I don’t eat meat or fish – No como carne ni pescado

A few dishes that you should enjoy:

• Tortilla española – Spanish omelette made with eggs, potatoes and onions
• Parillada de verduras – freshly grilled vegetables
• Espinacas con garbanzos – Spinach with beans or chickpeas
• Gazpacho – cold ripe tomato, peppers and cucumber soup
• Patatas bravas – chunks of friend potato
• Pimientos de Padrón – fried peppers with sea salt

Galicia is the shellfish and fish capital of Spain with an impressive variety and visiting the seafood markets in Santiago is a real treat. For those who do venture into eating seafood, octopus (or Pulpo á feira) is the ultimate Galician dish, and Melide is the place to try it. If you enjoy beef then the Galician beef is a must try.

The perfect sweet treat is the Tarta de Santiago, a traditional Spanish almond cake. One of the the most famous cheeses is the Tetila cheese from Galicia which is creamy and slightly salty and can be enjoyed with full-bodied wine, manzanilla or sherry or the Galician whites albariño or ribeiro.

Read more about Galician cuisine.

Buen provecho!