Pamplona: Enjoy Traveling Gluten-Free
Is bull stew gluten-free??
The entire town buzzes with people of all ages, all decked out in the traditional white attire, accented with red scarves, belts, and berets. White clothes are a nightmare to keep clean, but those at the festival’s opening were proudly rocking stains from the red wine-throwing tradition.
For six days, crowds of thousands line up to run alongside six to eight bulls. The police, rightfully so, make sure to thin out the drunks, the elderly, and the oversaturated crowd. We were among those booted. Turns out, people can be more dangerous than the bulls, with all the pushing and slipping. Still, the bulls shouldn’t be underestimated—each of the two days we participated saw 3-4 people injured.
After the run, there’s a parade with giant puppets of historical figures, called gigantes y cabezudos (giants and big-heads). Music echoed from balconies in the old quarter, fair rides were everywhere, and each district marched into the bullring with their own band. Ole!
As for food, our dining ranged from a gluten-free burger at Burger King to a Michelin-star restaurant. The latter had a sweet surprise when Mariachi musicians strolled in to serenade us. It’s a bit of a thing in San Antonio, but not so much in Spain. Regardless, I got gluten-free bread and had a sing-along to some familiar tunes.
This festival started in 1591, but there are rumors of changes to the tradition, so we were glad we got to experience this unique happening. Once we were home. I saw another Spanish festival, La Tomatina, where people throw tomatoes at each other. That certainly sounds safer, and tomatoes are definitely gluten-free. We may need to make that our next adventure! http://abbykurthnutrition.coach
Running from the bulls doesn’t give one much time to research gluten-free dining so check out these other resources:
