Vegetarian in Spain

http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/tags/tag/travel+spain+vegetarian

Might review this blog.

I expect it won't be quite as easy for you as Italy (for example) would be. Spain likes pork. Vegetables are sometimes prepared with bits of ham, and if you're buying a sandwich or a salad, you'll need to ask about ham, which may be present but not immediately visible. I saw cookies for sale at a convent (I think in Toledo) that were labeled as being made with lard.

You won't starve. The touristy markets like San Miguel in Madrid offer lots of tapas, and you may find cheese-based selections there. One stand at San Miguel has mini-skewers of vegetables. At least one other sells cups of cut-up fruit.

Scrambled eggs (sometimes with ham, sometimes just with vegetables) are often one of the options on the inexpensive two-course menus del dia you'll see advertised at lunchtime.

We are not vegetarians but we like vegetables. We had trouble getting a decent salad. Vegetables were not common. Ham was in everything. My answer to your question: it’s a struggle.

I had no problems. Just ask first or read the menu carefully. For instance, once of my favorite dishes is salmorejo (the Andalucian version of gazpacho). It is invariably garnished with chopped egg and ham. I would just order it "sin jamon." The same goes for salads, though often the "mixed salad" is pretty lame and includes canned corn (ugh). I saw several restaurants that had set lunch menus with a veggie option and a lot of menus that indicated which dishes were vegetarian. There are always vegetarian tapas options too. Chickpeas and spinach, eggplant. And if you don't fill up, there's always dessert.

Cheese? Spanish cheeses are to die for.

Try happycow.com. I know there are vegetarian restaurants, ate in one in Toledo a couple blocks from the cathedral.

Some Spanish tortillas are meatless and i’ve seen a couple restaurants offer vegitarian paella (kind of defeats even calling it paella).

A "tortilla" in Spain is a sort of frittata/crustless quiche.

Speaking of which, I imagine pie and tart crusts in Spain are fairly often made with lard.

... olive oil or butter, but mostly olive oil... we don't use lard at all -at least in Catalonia (except for a few dishes in the counties in the Pyrenees, which can be extremely cold in winter!)

Anyway, you don't say where exactly you're visiting... Spain is not really a country but a set of different cultures and their cuisines are also very different so it makes all the difference where you're referring to. In my homeland, Catalonia, you'll easily find vegetarian food -and when one says vegetarian, one means vegetarian :)

Thank you for your responses.

I think I mentioned- Planning to be around Madrid, day trips to Toledo and Segovia, Seville, Cordoba.

I am guessing I will be able to find something in Madrid, being a big city and all. I was more concerned about the other locations I listed above. I see someone mentioned Toledo had an option...

Is it possible to eat regular international cuisine, like pasta, sandwiches and such at a restaurant?

Thanks for your time.

You'll see sandwiches in cold cases in cafes and bakeries all over the place, and salads. Just ask about the contents. I am not a vegetarian, but I was a bit surprised to buy what I thought was a goat-cheese salad. Under the cheese was...ham.

There are pizzerias scattered around Europe outside of Italy. I don't know that you'll run into one in Toledo, but I bet if you Google, you'll find one.

I'm sure you won't have trouble avoiding fish, poultry and meat, but you'd be smart to ask specific questions.

Look for tempura vegetables (esp asparagus) with romesco sauce. Yum !!

Thank you for your responses.
Google maps also seems to show restaurants that serve vegetarian. Hopefully, we will be ok.

You'll have no problems with finding vegetarian food where you're going. I'm also not sure where the idea that lard features prominently in Spanish cooking, it's mainly olive oil. The more mountainous regions in the north tend to favour animal fat.

Vegetarian dishes can be found everywhere, I don't recall being in any restaurant where I couldn't find or ask for a vegetarian dish (I'm not vegetarian but my wife often prefers a vegetable based dish). Pasta also features quite heavily and you'll have no problems finding an Italian restaurant or two.

Thank you JC and all others for your input.