At a recent comedy night here in Barcelona, Adam Bloom described Spain's obsession with meat perfectly by saying "if you ask for a green salad don't be surprised if it comes with a dead cat as garnish". Spain is a meat eating country through and through and although dead cats do not feature on the menu, almost every other type of animal does. The national favourite is pork, in all forms, especially jamon - cured ham cut directly from the pigs leg.

I remember a night out in Madrid with some Spaniards and the enthusiasm for the jamon was incredible. At the time I didn't know what it was, and was shocked and equally disgusted when a dead pig's leg was brought to the table, hoof and all. Then, to the delight of the everyone at the table, it was carved into thin slices in front of us. On your visit to Spain you can see pigs legs everywhere - shops, markets, restaurants and homes.

In this environment it is easy to see why vegetarianism is misunderstood. In fact, even telling people that you are "a vegetarian" is met with a look of confusion followed by a question like "so what do you eat?" The reason for this may be due to the fact that during the Franco Regime it was strongly discouraged; vegetarian restaurants did not exist and it wasn't until after Franco's death in 1975 that veggie restaurants were allowed to open and the discussion of the health benefits of a vegetarian diet allowed to be discussed.

However, not all hope is lost. In fact, Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona's famous architect, was a vegetarian. It is possible to be a Veggie in Spain if you are prepared, avoid the pitfalls and learn a few key Spanish phrases.

Eating Out

I have 4 main categories for eating out, the most worry-free option is to eat at vegetarian restaurants although there is also the other great option of eating international cuisine, going to a traditional Spanish restaurant with a list of vegetarian tapas in hand or self-catering. The best choice for you depends on the type of vegetarian diet you follow. For vegans, the safest option is to stick to vegetarian restaurants or make your own food, it is the only way to guarantee that what you're eating does not contain animal products. For ovo-lacto vegetarians and pescatarians, there is much more opportunity. However, if you are eating in a non-vegetarian restaurant it is very likely that your veggie dish will be prepared along side meat and may even be cooked in the same oil.

Meal times in Spain are strictly adhered to; lunch is served between 2-4pm and dinner 9-11pm. It is almost impossible to eat in a restaurant outside of these times, although in the more touristy areas you will probably find somewhere. Also, I feel it is important to say that the service, in general, is very slow. If you are in rush don't go to a restaurant and simply buy a sandwich (bocadillo) to take away (para llevar), or make a small picnic. Eating here is a pleasure and even lunch is enjoyed at a steady pace.

Vegetarian Restaurants

To find vegetarian restaurants, the best website is Happy Cow, although there are some others. These websites give you the addresses and some reviews of each restaurant. I recommend printing off these lists before you come here to visit as it is very unlikely that you will be able to ask at your hotel for the nearest vegetarian restaurant - they won't know! Most of the restaurants don't offer a fine dining experience, most are very relaxed, hippy style, and often self-service. Generally you will find that the staff can speak English. They are often quite cheap and you can get a menu del dia, which is a set menu including a starter, main, dessert, bread and a drink for 8-10 Euros. For most restaurants, you won't need to reserve a table.

International Cuisine

Depending on where you are in Spain, International cuisine can be a great place to get a tasty meal. There is the obvious choice of Italian. The Italians have many vegetarian dishes and of course there is pizza. Unfortunately, cheese made without rennet (cujo) is unavailable, so you might want to ask for your pizza without cheese (sin queso).
There are also fantastic Morrocan, Lebanese, Peruvian, British etc. restaurants that often offer vegetarians options.

Traditional Cuisine

Okay, so you are in Spain and want to try some of the traditional food. There are hardly any vegetarian dishes but there are a few tapas, without meat. Tapas, small appetizer dishes, are eaten in bars during the evening. There is a reasonably sized list of vegetarian tapas but in reality you won't find even a fraction of these in most tapas bars. The best you can hope for is patas bravas (deep fried potato wedges with a spicy mayonnaise sauce), green olives, pimientos de pardon (small peppers fried and cooked in salt- sometimes you get a spicy one in the dish!), pan con tomate (in Catalunya you will find bread smothered with fresh tomato and olive oil- a great invention!), tortilla (a layered potato omelette), escalivada (roasted vegetables often served on toast) and plates of cheese (though with rennet). Unfortunately there is no guarantee that your food won't be prepared with oil that has had meat prepared in it.

Self-Catering

If you are in self-catering accommodation, or simply like to make picnics for your days out and about, there are plenty of options and places to buy food. I always take a few pieces of cutlery, plates and cups with me on holiday. The markets are an obvious choice and you will find it a treat visiting the fruit and vegetable stalls. You will always find a market near at hand as this is where the locals do a lot of their shopping. It is important to go in the mornings, before 2pm to get the best picks.

If you are in Barcelona you must visit the Boqueria, this is a treasure trove of goodies and a great picture opportunity! You can buy juices and fresh fruit salads to take away and there is a great little Greek stall at the back of the market, which sells spinach and feta filled filo-pastries.

There are many health food stores where you can find specialist ingredients, check out the Happy Cow website to find your local shops.

Another option is to buy a sandwich (bocadillo) from a bar or bakery to take away (para llevar) but there is a limited selection of fillings, with cheese (con queso), omelette (tortilla francesa) or potato omelette (tortilla). The sandwiches are very simple and do not contain salad.

Pit Falls

Make it clear that you are vegetarian and don't eat meat or fish. Now here comes the double whammy because Spaniards understand meat to only mean cuts of meat such as steak or pork chop - this does not include bacon pieces or pieces of ham. So it is important that you make this very clear that you do not eat any form of meat otherwise you will end up with ham on your cheese toastie, or bacon pieces on your salad.

The pastries, including croissants, often contain lard (manteca) from pigs so they are perhaps best avoided.

Green salad (ensalada verde) is a very uninspiring choice. It consists of some iceberg lettuce, pieces of tomatoes and a few olives on the side. It also often comes with tuna (atun) so make sure you ask for it without tuna (sin atun).

There is a sandwich (bocadillo) called vegetal, but this is not a vegetarian sandwich! It is actually salad with tuna and mayonnaise.

Quick Summary

1. Be organised and look into where you are going to eat.
2. Be ready with a list of possible tapas options
3. Have your few phrases of survival Spanish committed to memory.
4. If eating out remember that the meal times are fixed.
5. Enjoy the fresh fruit and vegetables from the markets.