I have a serious health problem and I am not allowed to have any salt or sodium of any kind (soy). Does anyone have any idea what I should do when in Barcelona? I would love to go to a cafe or restaurant that might make a regular dish on the menu but without salt. This would mean that it had to be made specially and few restaurants would do that.

Do they serve any pasta? That does not have salt. Are any restaurants known for large salads that I could put my own dressing on?

I can't think of anything that I would eat that Barcelona is known for.
HELP!!
Thanks,
Shaynak

I would not count on pasta, rice or potatoes to have no salt. Traditionally one salts the water used for cooking these items.

I think you would have a rather hard time finding a restaurant that serves their food with no salt. when i think about it, salad plates were not really a big thing on their menus. maybe just the restaurants i went to? i did find myself craving for ruffage at the end of our trip. spain is known for their tapas, usually loaded with salt and vinegar. good luck.

As said, salt is added when cooking foods, but salt as you no doubt know is added by manufacturers to food, and eating places do use short cuts and cheapness as in using ready prepared food when they can.

Fried or grilled meat (steaks, chops) and fish as in cooked fresh, as is, probably will not have salt in. Chips should be OK too as should eggs. Basically any food which has not been processed or boiled.

No salt in Spanish is "sin sal" and a "por favor" helps.

Yes, it will difficult. The Spanish are heavy handed on the olive oil and salt. Tapas will be a particular problem since most if it is prepared in advance.

This, is a severe departure from the usual advice, but I would look for restaurants that cater to tourists, so that you may have a waiter who speaks English well.

YOu can find Italian restaurants in probably every major city in Europe and N America, so I'm sure you can find some restaurant that serves pasta, if that's what you want. There are Italian restaurants in Barcelona, sure.

I also would be skeptical that any pasta dish would have zero salt in its preparation, though. And some pasta recipes do have salt in them, also, so that's no guarantee at all.
(eg, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/t...ipe/index.html)

Rice doesn't have any salt in it naturally and they serve that in Spain more than pasta in my observation, but again, they might salt the water when cooking or somethign else if it is part of a dish. But rice would be safer than pasta to have no salt in it by itself.

In reality, nothing has salt in it naturally except those cured meats (I mean rice, eggs, pasta, vegetables, chicken, fish, etc.) or some other cured things in briny stuff. But they often may have salt in the sauce or salt something while preparing it, that's the problem.

I too think that you are going to have problems here. IME the vast majority of professional chefs will salt the water that pasta, rice and vegetables are cooked in, and they will not really comprehend someone who wants something different.

your best bet would be to stay in a hotel with a big kitchen and have all your meals in, having made it clear in advance what you need. a top-class kitchen should be able to cater for you, if they have sufficient notice.

otherwise, what about staying in an apartment? that way you can control your diet completely. if you want to dine out, i suggest that you e-mail a few [upper end] restaurants and see what they can do for you. if you book in advance, and stress that it's a medical problem, you may strike lucky. but I fear that ad hoc eating, especially tapas, is not going to be possible.

good luck!

Google could be your friend with this one. I googled 'Health food restuarants in Barcelona and came up with this:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-...rian.Food.html

"Unicornus (C/ Jovellanos, 2, Raval, 08001, Barcelona - turn by Top shop or by Casas Shoe shop on La Rambla near Placa Catalunya - check a map!) Help yourself to salad/soup, be waited on for main and then help yourself to pudding, all for around 12€. Unicornus is amazing for salad, although the full 3 courses is good value."

Good luck

A couple of suggestions:
1) prepare and carry a small card in Spanish and/or Catalan (if you're spending most of your time in/around Barcelona) that says something to the effect that "For medical reasons I am unable to eat foods prepared with salt. Can you please help me select items without salt from the menu and ask the chef to NOT add any salt to my food? Many thanks!"
2) Something prepared at the last minute, i.e grilled, is most likely to be something for which they can "hold the salt." Also fresh/uncooked items such as salads and fresh fruit. Beware sauces and cured meats -- no jamon serrano or olives: how sad!!
3) restaurants will be more willing to try to accomodate your needs if you don't arrive during peak dining hours. If you arrive soon after they open, it will be quieter -- and may be closer to your usual dinner hour (unless you usually eat at 10pm)?!

Any real restaurant makes dishes from scratch. (This isn't Applebee's you're talking about.)

You should go in and consult with the waiter - have a card with the problem written out as well as a translator (electronic or book) and be very firm that you can have no salt added. I assume you can have minimal amounts of salt as is found in bread, pasta etc (otherwise it would be making every item completely from scratch).

Agree that grilled meats/fish and vegetables and salads are likely to be the least problem.

What do you do when you travel in your own country?

Tuscany would be good - no salt in the bread.

nyt - yes, real restaurants do make things from scratch, but normally they have done their preparation in advance, and just finish the dish when they get the order, unless it's something grilled as you say. but very often they will have been seasoned in advance too.

i do think that it would be wise to make contact in advance to see what places you like the look of can do for you.