Long Tours and food.. Advice sought

[srw]

Couscous. It packs much smaller than pasta or noodles for its calorific value, and unlike instant pasta or instant noodles or commercial dehydrated meals is real food of the sort you'd eat at home. All it needs is boiling water.

Before you leave home, buy a tin of Marigold vegetable bouillon. Mix couscous with Marigold (about a couple of teaspoons per portion), a little salt, some dried herbs, and if you're feeling fancy some raisins and/or some chopped dry sun-dried tomatoes. Pack into sandwch bags. Rehydrate with boiling water and enjoy. That's sat in panniers on a couple of tours now, for those times when we haven't been able to find a shop or restaurant.

For protein, it's usually quite easy to find whole salami/saucisson sec. Because it's dried it's quite light for its calorific content, and it goes very well with couscous.

 

[mcshroom]

Stock cubes work well with couscous as well. Then chop in some salad or chuck in a tin of beans/sweetcorn etc. and tuna or salami

 

[psmiffy]

why is it assumed that - you need to carry dry food for an emergency - my emergency food is simply an extension to my lunch - bread, cheese various bits and pieces - although its rare that I have to resort to it - pasta and rice are things I carry to provide variety to my diet from my staple of potatoes - typically mixed with some sort of tomateoy sauce and mince - when it becomes obvious that it is going to be a long way between decent shops or for that matter any shop at all - or weekend opening limits opportunities - I tend to become a bit of a hoarder - in some countries in the rural areas there may be shops but what they stock can be a bit limited - visit any and every little shop (it also gives you an idea what you can find if you should get a bit short of food) - a pound of potatoes here - a tin of tuna for if all else fails - a bit of extra bread - its not long before ive collected enough bits and pieces to put a good meal together.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Being retired from touring, I might recommend a dehydrator. I got going in this thing of running, then cycling later. My Father got a dehydrator for dried fruit and such, and gave it to me when he quit the bike and went to walking. I also like sardines or herring over tuna. I know of a fellow(Jeff Teel) on CGOAB that toured around the Midwestern US on first a single speed Huffy he got at Montgomery Ward, then on a Trek Beauville 3 speed, both with wire baskets. He powered these heavy machines mostly with a canned concoction we call "Beenie Weenies" (Frankfurters and baked beans in a can) as well as diner food he got on the way.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Oh, and Spam. Over the open flame, assumes a whole new character, when sliced thin before cooking. But make anything you take quick to prepare. Nobody feels like cooking after a long day in the saddle. Everybody, however, does feel like eating.

 

[HelenD123]

The dried soup idea, brilliant cheers

Shame I didn't realise while still on tour!

 

[sparkyman]

Cous cous is a nice alternatie to pasta.

I like it, but have to drown it in sauce but now i have dried soup option for a sauce

 

[fimm]

I'm going to have to try the cous cous with bouillion idea, sounds nice

 

[Gravity Aided]

Dried powdered onion soup mix is a great base for sauces or just as it is.

 

[steveindenmark]

Can you me where you are intending to go?
Steve

 

[sparkyman]

Can you me where you are intending to go?
Steve

a rough outline https://mapsengine.google.com/map/viewer?mid=zvknMQwRbqE8.koJ6APqy28xg some i wont get to and there will be others added along the way, I am sure to meet other cyclists and decide to keep them company and may diverge to see places i have not even thought of yet.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

One tip we were given along the way was to carry some mexican wraps (this was after we had run out of bread and anything that could consititute lunch in the very far north of norway - they can be used for any meal). They typically have a long (+6 month) shelf life, are easily stowable and add that little something to an emergency meal. Also we carried a packet of soya bean mix (just add hot water for an emergency meal), stock cubes, and some herbs & spices which help to pep things up a touch. Apricots add a real nice touch to things like soya bean mixes (we are veggie btw) and liven things up no end.

A nice addition to meals of any kind are dried fruit & nuts of any kind - boil with your sauce or pasta - just aim for the non-salted varieties. And in some of the countries you are planning to visit you will be able to purchase vacuum sealed packets of ready cooked mixed beans which again can be used as emergency food because they have a good shelf life. We are actually using some of these when we set out on Saturday on our JOGLE tour.

But on the pasta front, carry spagetti instead. It takes up much less space in the panniers and if you pack it incorrectly will come out ready broken up and very easy to eat. (I don't find I get the 'fuel' I need from noodles tbh.)

One tip I can give you is that polo's are not very good at sweetening anything other than peppermint tea. Been there, done that and polo's in coffee or polos in porridge does not work!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

oh and another little addition that adds something extra to an eveing meal is a packet of cream of coconut (not coconut cream which comes in a tin). It also takes the heat out of chilies if you have put too much in. Coconut cream and coconut milk will also work but come in tins.

 

[sparkyman]

Just tried the Cous Cous and stock mixed with trail mix and chorizo sausage.. not bad if i was hungry I would eat it..

Sparkyman

 

[Ticktockmy]

Diet wise on long tours you can become stir crazy, once I was cycling North through Malaysia from Singapore, all day i had ridden through Pineapple plantations, all I craved was Pineapple, but not fresh which there was plenty beside the road, but canned Pineapple, when I went in one shop to ask for a tin or two, it amused them that I did not want fresh.. Just another English man..LOL