One may find it completely impossible to be vegan on the Camino. It is definitely a challenge, but from my experience it is more than doable. In Portugal, the main vegan dishes in traditional menus (majority of menus are traditional there) are fries, a mixed salad, and bread. There is really no protein in these dishes, so a vegan must find other sources for this. I bought sunflower seeds in our first walking town, and ate handfuls every morning. Luckily, these lasted me quite a long time. On the occasion, like in Fatima before the walk started, there would be an organic store that catered perfectly to vegans. One day I was able to eat a delicious vegetable soup, with no meat in the broth, and two types of vegan empanadas. I was stoked beyond belief. They also told protein bars there, including Cliff bars, and I took advantage of that even though they were more expensive there than in the states.
A vegan can also survive well on the Camino by going to the little markets, and in bigger towns supermercados. Almost every vegetable and fruit offered in California was offered here as well, and the freedom of fresh produce never tasted better on these days.
It is not too common to be vegan on the Camino, but there are people doing it. In Porto, I gained another perspective on the movement in Portugal specifically. I talked extensively to a vegan chef and restaurant owner who quickly caught my eye because of her alternative fashion. She explained that two years ago one would find absolutely no vegan restaurant here, but here she was with a new, successful veggie joint. She also went in length about the healing powers of a vegan diet and how it had “cured” her irritable bowel syndrome. She and her partner asked us to hang out on the terrace after we’d finished our meal; we stayed much past closing time, got their contacts and exchanged hugs with high hopes to see them again.
The first vegan I met while walking was a 31 year old Englishman named Jeremy. He was walking about three times our groups average pace of 12 miles a day, and I’m sure he gave some credit to his diet for his remarkable physical fitness. Jeremy admitted to me, though, that it was very tough for him to be vegan on the Camino. A couple of times he gave in and ate dishes with eggs, as they can be found in countless dishes in Portugal. I met him at a cafe in Tui, Spain that had many options for vegans; I literally spent most of my day at that restaurant. Because of our commonality with diet, James and I bonded immediately, and realized our diet was one of many beliefs and traits we shared, another including spirituality.
I also realized I’d encountered other vegans on the Camino when I received a very friendly reaction for eating chickpeas straight out of the jar, and spotted peanut butter in one of the two young adults’ backpack. Svet and Shivani were two university students from the Netherlands, studying environmental studies as many vegans do, including me. Again, I bonded immediately with these girls while talking about all of the, very few, restaurants that catered to a plant based diet among the Camino– We had been to all the same ones, finding them through the mobile app HappyCow. From here, we realized we had much more in common, as vegans usually do. Environmentalism– they had hitchhiked all the way from Holland to Portugal. Also the same love for music festivals, and even the same types of music.
I’ve realized that veganism can really bring people together, as I connected easily with these fellow strangers. Although the Camino doesn’t provide the richest options for people who want to eat vegan, it most certainly provides like minded friends.