Spain: vegetarian enclaves?

Question

Okay, so we are still working on our honeymoon to Spain. We might go to Barcelona + Andalucia, or maybe Barcelona + Canary Islands. Then again, nothing is set in stone yet, so maybe we will do something else entirely.

Here's a question: are there any particularly vegetarian-friendly areas of Spain? Maybe areas that are veg-friendly because of an immigrant population, or just a large, progressive city where vegetarianism has become somewhat popular? I am vegan and my fiance is lacto-ovo veg, but prefers vegan food for health reasons.

Answer 1

Oh dear.  Spain is largely a meat, poultry, seafood, egg eating society.  There are no particularly veg places, nor any partially veg places.  Obviously there are a few restaurants here and there, but I can't recall passing a vegan place.  Being a vegan will limit your dining choices in Spain, but you should be able to find something on the menu to eat.  Failing that, you could stay in self catering places and cook your own food.

Answer 2

There are plenty of spanish dishes you could have in an ordinary restaurant... Such as:

-Spanish Omelette: potatoes, onions and eggs. (Good for an ovo-lacto-veg).

-Vegetable Paella (instead of meat or fish they add more variety of veggies).

-Patatas a la Brava or Bravas, these are boiled or sautéed potatoes with a piquant sauce.

-Salads,...spanish eat a lot of salads with mainly lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions, cucumber, grated carrots and sometimes corn, beets, hard-boiled eggs, tuna and olives. Just tell them not to add anything non-veggy.

-Cogollos de Tudela... these are small hearts of lettuce, usually served with olive oil, vinegar and some chopped garlic (the garlic often lightly fried).

-Gazpacho (a cold soup made of tomatoes, peppers, bread, cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and oil).

Arroz con Leche... milky rice pudding with cinnamon.

There are dozens more dishes for you to choose from...

As to Vegetarian Restaurants... You will find more than a dozen in Madrid. Over a half dozen in Barcelona, and most good sized spanish cities will have at least one or two....

Below I have a listing of all (or at least most of) the vegetarian restaurants in Spain (sorry it isn't in english, but at least you'll have the addresss, etc.)

http://www.restaurantesvegetarianos.es/

Answer 3

Spain is considered a huge meat eating country. When I go to the butchers here in Spain it amazes me the amount of meat that people buy. I have no doubt there are vegetarians here, but having said that, I know of none.

Answer 4

Umm, you might want to pack your own food.  Or, do something else entirely.  Spain is great (the best), but you'll starve.