Cooking

[Covey]

There have been various posts about the practicality of cooking for oneself along the trail, so here is an update on what is possible and what is not.

All Albergues both official and private have some form of kitchen and cooking facility, but it varies widely from the totally inadequate, to excellent. Some have hobs, ovens, a fridge, pots and pans, plates, cutlery, and cups and glasses, and some just have a hob and nothing else.

The official albergue at Azofra is one of the nicest on the Camino with 2 bed rooms and everything you need to cook a banquet, but the official albergue at the top of El Cebreiro (100 bed) has a huge kitchen, 2 hobs, but this year had 2 cooking pots and nothing else. Last year they did not even have the pots so I suppose it was a slight improvement!

Cooking therefore rather depends on where you are for the evening and what facilities are available. You cannot depend on cooking for yourself until you see what the albergue actually has available.

Most official albergues clear out the left over food items such as oil, salt etc each day, so do not rely on anything being available. Most private albergues tend to leave the surplus food items so you may be lucky and find oil, salt, vinegar etc.

Many of the food shops where pilgrims shop sell oil and vinegar in small sachets which is useful as carrying bottles of oil around means weight.

Cooking for a group of 4 -5 pilgrims is becoming very popular where possible as the cost of the Pilgrim Menu rapidly escalates and can now cost ?11.

On my first Camino four years ago I never cooked at all, but this year we cooked quite often as it was cheaper than the Menu and we had better food and a more balanced energy intake.

A meal could consist of a pasta dish with tuna, anchovies, capers, sweetcorn cooked in butter, a tomato and onion salad, cheese, ham, fruit and of course the inevitable bread, all washed down with a few bottles of wine which cost on average ?6 per head for 5 of us.

You need to take with you a small sharp kitchen knife (I bought one in a kitchen shop which had a plastic sheath over the blade), a fork and spoon, many take a plastic or metal mug, and a small container of salt and pepper. A small plastic plate is useful.

In some places you will not be able to cook, so you take pot luck in the bars with the Pilgrim Menu, but it is probably better not to expect a gastronomic experience!!

Vegetarians have a hard time on the Camino. I have never seen a vegetarian option on a pilgrim menu, and at best you will be offered more salad. Most vegetarians I came across tended to cater for themselves, and then had a blow out at the McDonald's or Burger King in the bigger cities!!

[Sil]

There are also the smaller albergues where dinner - and perhaps a light breakfast - are provided. Sometimes donativo and sometimes for a small charge.
Some include:
Eunate (donativo - wonderful albergue and excellent cook), Cirauqui, Villamayor de Monjardin, Sansol, Ciruena, Granon (donativo - a favourite) Viloria de la Rioja (run by a famous couple on the camino) Tosantos (donativo - Jose Luis, one of the kindest hospitaleros on the camino), Ages, Tardajos (Breakfast) Rabe de las Calzadas, Arroyo de San Bol (another of my favourites) Convento San Anton, Itero del Castillo (dinner by lamplight! blessing includes washing feet), Boadillo (Dinner and breakfast) Terradillos de los Templarios (dinner available in a modern cafetaria) San Nicolas de Real Camino, Bercianos (another favourite), Villar de Mazarife (2 abergues) Manjarin, Villafrance del Bierzo (Ave Fenix, dinner) Ruitlean, La Faba (Albergue Vegetariano) Laguna de Castilla.
I am a vegetarian and, although Spain is a very carnivorous country, I didn't have a problem. Lots of salads available, fruit, nuts, pasta, tortilla Espanol or bottles of vegetables. I bought boxed soups and had them with cheese and bread and had yogurt and fruit for breakfast.