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I just found this web page about vegan travel to Spain:

How to survive - and thrive - as a vegetarian in Spain's markets, tapas bars, restaurants, and while traveling.

Vegetarianism can be an admittedly difficult feat in ham-loving Spain. The country has had an undeniably long, proud love affair with meat for as long as anyone can document or remember. (Just look in on any Museo del Jamón location for proof.)

But take heart. Spain today is an undoubtedly hip Western nation and good vegetarian fare is now a question of where you go and who you ask. Surviving, or dare we say it, even thriving, as a vegetarian in Spain can be easy enough once you know what to look for.

Here’s your vegetarian and vegan guide on navigating your way through Spain’s four main food environments:

Markets and supermarkets

As is probably the case back in your home country, any market or supermarket is a safe bet for everyday shopping if you keep your eyes open and you’re prepared to read the ingredient lists on the back of packages. However, if you’re looking to find tofu, soy, and wheat gluten in all their forms; milk alternatives; and other vegetarian foods, you’ll need to make your way to a health food store or an herbolario.

Health food stores

The health food stores in Spain generally carry a wide variety of organic, gourmet, and vegetarian items, both classic Spanish (such as jars of organic pisto) and international (such as sushi wraps and organic tiramisu). Soy, rice, and almond milk are easily available, as are a myriad of meat alternatives, including seitan, tofu, and soy crafted into hamburgers, kebabs, filets, and other faux creations. You might also be able to get your hands on delicacies such as Catalan butifarras made from soy.

Aside from health food stores and supermarkets, such as NaturaSì in Madrid (http://www.naturasi.es/), a number of vegetarian restaurants have health food stores on the premises or next door. Here’s a list of vegetarian restaurants and health food stores throughout Spain. (http://www.happycow.net/europe/spain/madrid/)

Herbolarios

Though the selection can be extremely limited, most herbolarios have a dietética section where they sell vegetarian products such as almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, tofu, and a veggie burger or two alongside low sugar, wholewheat, and diet foods.

Vegetarian and vegan tapas

Going out for tapas is the quintessential Spanish experience you won’t ever want to miss. But before you despair upon finding that most tapas places have only one or two vegetarian tapas on offer, let this be an opportunity to participate in the grand tradition of the Spanish tapas crawl. Go ir de tapas and have a tapa or two at one place, then move on to the next, and so on until you’ve had your fill. Just follow your nose with our quick guide to vegetarian and vegan tapas.

Note: While these tapas are usually suitable for vegetarians or vegans, unless you have a chance to see the tapa in front of you, make sure you ask if it contains any meat or shellfish. One tapas place may put bits of ham in their cheese croquettes, and another won’t. One place might try to put ham strips on your pan con tomate, and another wouldn’t dream of it.

Vegan tapas

pisto manchego = zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, and onion stew
escalivada = grilled eggplant, onion, and bell pepper
aceitunas = olives
champiñones al ajillo = garlic-sauteed mushrooms
alcachofas al ajillo = garlic-sauteed artichokes
pimientos asados = roasted bell peppers
zarangollo = zucchini and onion stew

Restaurants

There are two types of restaurants for a vegetarian in Spain: a regular or vegetarian restaurant. At a regular restaurant you may feel like you’re foraging for the one vegetarian item on the menu, but at a vegetarian restaurant your dining companions may feel the same frantic impetus searching for that magical meat and potatoes combination. But whether you opt for mainstream risk or sure-fire subculture, be assured that the quality of Spanish gastronomy is high and dining is one of Spain’s many pleasures.

Regular restaurants

To get the most out of your restaurant experience, it pays to strategize.

Strategy #1: Tame the menu del día

The menu del día’s second plate options are notoriously meat only. To compensate, order two vegetarian-friendly firsts. Or ask if you could substitute the meaty second with a tortilla or other item they’re bound to have in their repertoire.

Strategy #2: Knowledge is power

“What’s in that anyway?” you may ask. Be sure to find out! Common vegetarian pitfalls include soup broth made from meat stock (even in vegetable soups) or salads and plates of vegetables that arrive with bits of ham in it. Ask if they can skip the ham.

Vegetarian restaurants

In Spain, vegetarian restaurants generally offer three varieties of cuisine (and décor) for varying vegetarian and vegan tastes: haute-gourmet, hippie, and classic.

Let’s examine three illustrative case studies:

Haute-gourmet: With an exotic decor, say elegant South Seas shipwreck meets Greenpeace, Madrid’s vegetarian restaurant Isla del Tesoro offers up a creative, internationally-inspired menu with names like Volcán castizo, El buen rollito, or Cesta del pecado. Ingredients may include seitan, quail eggs, bulgur, algae, and yucca. (But not all at once.) Food is artistically presented with edible garnish.

Hippie: With a brightly-colored, psychedelic décor and a juice bar at the front, Barcelona’s vegan restaurant Juicy Jones serves up a variety of wholesome food, including hearty soups, salads, and Indian-inspired dishes.

Classic: With a fairly typical Spanish décor of dark wood, painted tile, and brick, Madrid’s El Estragón serves up substantial, down-home Spanish food that just happens to be vegetarian. Think no-frills Spanish comfort food.

As you would expect, there’s a greater chance of finding good vegetarian options in Spain’s bigger cities, but more and more vegetarian restaurants are popping up in smaller towns these days. Some vegetarian restaurants offer one or two menu items for your meat-eating dining companions, but most don’t.