V-Curious
Written by Maya Eashwaran
I’m ashamed to say that I’m quite a picky eater. I’m generally the person asking the waiter a thousand questions about each dish. And for someone who already has a dietary restriction (I’m vegetarian), I don’t do myself any favors by being so choosy.
I’m this person: Yes, I’ll have the chicken salad. But without the chicken. And with tofu instead. And no tomatoes either, please. And I might be allergic to walnuts, so none of those. And the dressing on the side, please. Thanks!
I’ve learned a lot about food this summer. Before arriving in Spain, I had never truly tasted Spanish cuisine, and honestly, I was a bit apprehensive about expanding my palate to these new and unusual flavors. More daunting was the unforeseen challenge of living without peanut butter.
I had to force myself to say yes to new things, as trite as it sounds, even if it sounded strange and frankly a little unappetizing to my unaccustomed taste buds.
Vegetarianism was slow to arrive in Spain — during Franco’s regime from 1936 to 1975, publicly choosing to remain vegetarian was strongly associated with anti-Franco leftist groups. But, as countries across the world have started to embrace a greater awareness of meat’s detrimental effects on the environment and the body, post-Franco Spain has followed suit.
It is still quite difficult to find a large array of vegetarian options as the Spanish diet is particularly meaty, with massive legs of jámon commonly hung from the ceilings of restaurants and bars. But it’s definitely far from impossible for the open-minded eater.
The post-Franco wave of tourism spurred a generation of Spanish chefs who challenge tradition, offering an ample selection (for Spanish standards) of vegetarian, pescatarian, and vegan options that still contain many of the authentically Spanish elements of the more popular meat dishes. And there are now annual fairs like VeggieWorld in Barcelona that invite around 7,000 visitors — playfully dubbed “v-curious” — to try vegan delicacies.
The popularity of the plant-based diet, however, is still lagging behind in Spain. According to El País, Spaniards are eating 40% less vegetables than they did in 1964, making Spain one of the biggest consumers of meat in Europe. The article goes on to state that in 2017, a staggering 49 million pigs were slaughtered for a population of 46.6 million. Vegetarianism in Spain, although a growing phenomenon, remains mainly limited to young women in large cities like Madrid and Barcelona. I will say that it is much, much more difficult to be vegan here since a lot of vegetarian options in restaurants feature a heavy-handed serving of eggs and cheese.
According to Open Food Facts, Mercadona, the popular Spanish grocery store, sells 391 items labeled “vegan,” out of its total 2149 products (that’s just under 20%). Granted, most of these items are part of the store’s regular produce selection and aren’t speciality vegan items like tofu or seitan. But the number of options available regardless makes it somewhat easier for those wishing to switch to a meatless or limited meat diet.
That being said, it’s still not easy to be vegetarian in Andalucía. While many waiters kindly explain the vegetarian options the restaurant provides, I have been on the receiving end of eye-rolls and outright disdain. During my first week in Spain, I was served a “salad” comprised of a heap of sad looking lettuce, a fresh-from-the-plastic collection of carrot shavings, and a lone slice of tomato — sans salt, pepper, or dressing of any kind. Sad times.
But on the bright side, this challenge can present more of an adventure than a hindrance. Each new restaurant and each new dish becomes a mystery. And the beauty of Spain’s tapas style meals makes trying new and unexpected dishes a cheap and stress-free way of exploration and travel.
So do I know what this cheese will taste like? And with that weird looking jam? What about this fungus? And this oddly shaped fried thing? No, no, no, and possibly—it can’t be bad if it’s fried!
But that’s the beauty of living in a new place, isn’t it? I am forced to take my assumptions, throw them out the window, and try to see what others see. I am forced to eat the culture, and somewhere along the way, be eaten.
Here’s some stuff I’ve tried this month:
- Herb crusted, fried camembert with quince (a yellow, lumpy fruit that is transformed into a deep wine-colored paste) jam atop a bed of purple cabbage and strips of lettuce and pickled red sweet pepper.
- Creamy boletus risotto and green olives drenched in garlic and olive oil crushed on flaking bread.
- Shocking orange gazpacho out of a wine glass with a cucumber wedged in its rim.
- Fried vegetable tempura coated in a mystery sauce and pebbled with black sesame seeds.
- Cheese croquettes with red pepper jam that ooze at first forkful.
- Patatas bravas, sliced and cubed under spiced paprika tomato sauce.
- Spinach croquettes and pickled vegetables.
- Triangles of idiazabal cheese eaten with jam and severed bits of green onion.
- Thick salmorejo with pools of olive oil glazing its surface, small quail eggs hidden just beneath.
- Spinach, tofu, and pine nut burgers with a thick slice of tomato and onion stained green.
If I’ve made you hungry, I’ve done my job.
Here a link on why limiting meat consumption is better for the environment and your body: https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-international-stateless/2018/03/698c4c4a-summary_greenpeace-livestock-vision-towards-2050.pdf
