Soy vegano. Or soy vegetariano.
I’ve seen an increase in the number of future pilgrims asking about the availability of vegetarian or vegan dishes along the Camino de Santiago. They worry that it will be hard for them to find suitable food. And it’s understandable.
Obviously, you need adequate nourishment.
And, although it’s true that the Mediterranean diet includes a lot of vegetables and pulses, it is also true that Spain is not the most vegetarian-friendly country. It’s common for an ensalada to have tuna; and a “vegetable sandwich” with either tuna or a slice of ham is a classic (and nobody thinks it’s odd!).
Things are changing and it’s not unusual now to find restaurantes vegetarianos or veganos. But they are not available everywhere. They are more common in the bigger cities. But the Camino goes through a lot of smaller towns and rural areas. So, is it possible to do the Camino as a vegetariano/a* or vegano/a*?
The short answer is: YES! It’s possible, with some planning.
What are your options as a vegan or vegetarian on the Camino?
You have two main choices:
- You can buy food and snacks from the local fruterías and supermercados (see Shopping on the Camino for the pronunciation of these words). Some albergues have kitchens where you can prepare your own meal. You just need to find out if the place where you are staying has such facilities.
- Or you can also eat out and enjoy the local cuisine, even in the smaller towns. And it’s probably easier than you think.
There are many Spanish dishes that are naturally vegetariano/vegano or can be easily adapted (In this article you can find a long list of Spanish dishes that are suitable for vegans: https://www.thenomadicvegan.com/the-ultimate-vegan-guide-to-spain/). You just need to know a few Spanish words and phrases to make sure you get the right food:
Soy vegetariano / Soy vegetariana or Soy vegano / Soy vegana
I’m a vegetarian or I’m a vegan.
*If you are a male, you will refer to yourself as vegetariano/vegano. If you are a female, you will use vegetariana/vegana instead.
- You can also specify the foods you don’t eat by saying No como… (I don’t eat…) + anything you need to mention, such as carne (meat), pescado (fish), huevos (eggs), lácteos (dairy) or queso (cheese). If you have food allergies, get more info here.
- Let’s say you are not sure about the ingredients of any particular dish: you can ask ¿Lleva carne, huevo…? (Does it have… meat, egg…?).
- If a dish is mostly vegan, but it has some egg or cheese, for instance, you can still order it and ask them to serve it sin huevo (without egg) or sin queso (without cheese).
- You could even take advantage of the menú del día. I know I said in this previous post that the second course is normally pescado or carne. No problem! You can explain that you are vegetariano/vegano and ask if you could take dos primeros (two first courses) instead of a primero and a segundo. Most places wouldn’t have a problem with that.
Do you have any experience as a vegetariano/a or vegano/a in the Camino de Santiago? You can share it in the comments!
Today’s Spanish words
Soy
Vegano
Vegana
Vegetariano
Vegetariana
No como
Sin
¿Lleva...?
Carne
Pescado
Huevos
Lácteos
Queso
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You can also download your free Camino food guide here, with lots of useful info and Spanish.
Fabulous.. thank you so much! I will follow for further ideas and informative posts. Regards, Suzanne
Fantastic! So simple and easy to follow. My Spanish is getting better and this will help a lot.
Thanks! ☺️
Hi María,
Thank you so much for writing this post for vegans who want to walk the Camino! And thanks also for linking to my Ultimate Vegan Guide to Spain 😉
I actually have a guide to eating vegan on the Camino on my website as well. I walked the Camino Francés last summer, and it really was a life-changing experience. I’m hooked now and am planning to walk the Camino Primitivo later this spring. Do you live along that route?
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for your comment! ☺️
I’ve also read your guide to eating vegan on the Camino and I’m planning to share it on my Facebook page this week.
I live along the Camino Portugués and leaning towards the Inglés as my first Camino 👣
Ah, that’s great! I actually live in Lisbon, so I’m sure I will do the Camino Portugués at some point. Maybe next year. You know, you could also just start walking from out your front door for your first camino, like the medieval pilgrims used to do. 🙂
By the way, my husband and I host a podcast for English language learners, and we’ve just released a special audio series all about the camino! Here’s the link if you’d like to pass it along to people who might be interested: https://englishin10minutes.com/theway/