I started walking the Camino. (I was aiming to post this yesterday 🙂 My bon voyage picture memory popped up three days ago on Facebook. Sometimes it seems like I just left Spain and at other times it seems like so long ago.
Today I picked peppers from my garden. What does that have to do with the Camino? The peppers are a type known as Pimientos de Padrón, to be exact. A tapas dish that everyone should try once they reach Galicia. My last meal in Santiago consisted of pimientos and zorza, an excellent pork dish that I have not yet tried to recreate. But, pimientos! That I can do! Pan-fried until charred, drizzled with olive oil and sea salt and eaten whole. Then, some nice crusty bread to sop up the flavorful oil. Muy delicioso!
The peppers are mostly sweet, but every now and again you catch one that is spicy! My Spanish is only rudimentary, but could understand the pride the Spaniards have in these peppers from very basic discussions with gardeners along the Way. Petra and I were treated to a mini tour and lecture from a very friendly gentleman one morning who was saying words I could kind of understand, but not really comprehend. Only after speaking with Javier days later did I come to understand the complexity of the pimiento.
It turns out that the sweet and hot ones grow on the same plant, and the ratio varies depending on who you talk to. Some say 1 in 5 is hot, others 1 in 10. Visually, they can all look the same and you don’t know if one is spicy until you try it. Pilgrims often refer to eating a plate of pimientos as playing roulette with your tastebuds!
andreaonthecamino 
Enjoyed your story of the peppers. Some like it hot!!!
Do you have any plans to return to Spain?
Mary
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