I went on a trip to Spain during spring break. I decided to visit Spain because it’s a beautiful European country I had never been to before, it shouldn’t be cold in April, and it seemed easy to find gluten-free food since it is known for paella π₯. In addition, I had seen a documentary about the famous Spanish architect Gaudi and was interested in experiencing his architecture βΊοΈ.
I was thrilled that Spain exceeded my expectations with the high level and prevalence of gluten-free options. I highly recommend Spain for gluten-free travelers! ππ»
When I travel abroad, I like staying in Airbnb accommodations. So before my recent trip, I researched local supermarkets to find ingredients to cook my own meals. That’s when I stumbled upon some exciting news! I discovered that the daughter of the owner of the famous Spanish supermarket chain, Mercadona (https://info.mercadona.es/en/supermarkets), follows a gluten-free lifestyle. Naturally, this piqued my curiosity, and I couldn’t resist visiting the store.
To my delight, Mercadona had a fantastic selection of gluten-free products! Finding them was a breeze because they had prominent labels in Spanish that read “Sin Gluten” (which means gluten-free). Not only were they easily identifiable, but they were also quite affordable. Although they might have been slightly pricier than regular wheat products, they were definitely more budget-friendly than similar options in the United States. It was a pleasant surprise!
And this chocolate cake I found there (β¬the top left of the photo) was not too sweet, and fluffy and delicious. I haven’t tried them yet, but I also bought chocolate cookies, muffins, and biscuits.
By the way, Barcelona is located in the region of Catalonia, and all signs and labels are written in both Spanish and Catalan. The packages say “Sin Gluten” and “Sem Gluten”. At first, I thought “Sem Gluten” meant “Semi Gluten” in English, so I was a bit confused about whether it meant “No Gluten” or “Semi Gluten” π .
In Barcelona, I also visited two gluten-free bakeries.
Among them, I highly recommend Jansana Gluten Free Bakery (https://jansanaglutenfree.com) for its high level of taste, variety, and price!
I bought baguettes, pastries, and cakes. They were so delicious that I couldn’t even tell they were not made of wheat flour. They were either crispy or fluffy. Usually, rice flour bread becomes dry and not tasty after the next day without reheating in a toaster, but the bread from here was still delicious the next day without reheating! I was surprised.
The pastry called Palmier (Palmera in Spanish) blew me away! It was crispy, had just the right amount of sweetness, and was about 6 inches in size. I couldn’t make Palmier myself, it wasn’t sold in other places, and I hadn’t eaten it since starting a gluten-free diet, so I was happy.
It’s a lovely shop with tables inside. If you go to Barcelona, please check it out.