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Dietary Restrictions

Eating in Europe is sightseeing for your tastebuds. Deciphering the menu is half the fun! But some travelers have special needs when it comes to food: vegan, diabetic, low-salt, gluten-sensitive, lactose-intolerant, nut and other allergies, etc. Any tips for those with special diet concerns in Europe?

I want to add my comments! 

Vegetarian Krakow
I'm not vegetarian but I enjoy frequent "meatless" meals, so when we happened into Bar Wegetarianski Vega on ul. Gertrudy in Krakow I was delighted -- very good and inexpensive (about $14 US for my family of four). Crazy good carrot salad! It's been pretty easy to find tasty vegetarian food in Krakow in general, which has been a welcome change after three weeks in Serbia.
Bob & Brenna <email>
Glendale, CA  USA   08/06/2009

No Pine Nuts!
My friend is highly, highly allergic to pine nuts, so I ran "pine nuts" thru bablefish to find out what they're called in Dutch, French and Finnish.

She wrote down all the variations in her Moleskin notebook & showed them to every waiter we dealt with.

That, plus dramatic acting out being sick and careful menu scrutiny, allowed us to make it thru a 3 week trip with nary a run-in with the "evil" pine nut.

It pays to be alert. Pine nuts were listed as "pine tree kernals" and "pine tree seeds" on two menus.

We also found them scattered among the salad than came with my egg & cheese sandwich.

Also in Amsterdam, many places had English versions of their menus. These were very helpful.

Joan
Joan <email>
Portland, OR  USA   07/25/2009

Food allergy translation cards
People with food allergies can buy preprinted cards with the names and pictures of all their offending foods in the local language from Select Wisely.com. We used these for my son's nut and peanut allergies while in France. You just hand one to the waiter (make sure you get it back!) and he or she will bring it to the kitchen to check against ingredients. People take these very seriously! We never had a problem the entire time we were there.
Ashley
Sherborn, MA  USA   07/24/2009

dietary choices when you fly
Don't overlook the possibility of selecting a special meal when you book your flight online. When booking my Air New Zealand flights to and from Europe this summer, I was able to choose from among a dozen meal types, and I was served before everyone else!
Jeff
Fresno, CA  USA   06/21/2009

Gluten-Free
I have sensitivities to gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and refined sugar. The best country I have found to travel in is Finland. Most pizza places (definitely the chains) have gluten-free pizza crusts available. Hesberger (their version of McDonald's) has gluten-free buns available for your burger. In fact, the government is so considerate towards celiacs that those who have gluten sensitivities get a monthly stipend to supplement their grocery money, as no matter where you are gluten-free tends to cost a little extra. (Beware though: not all of their famous licorice is gluten-free.) There are many gluten-free breads, pastas, cookies, crackers, cakes, muffins, cereals, etc. Also, Finnair made airline food taste good for the first time, and it was gluten-free! There are plenty of soy options if you can't have dairy as well and don't have any issues with soy. Everyone I came across was aware and understanding of food allergies. I received plenty of help from the locals. There are many celiacs in Finland, making gluten-free products free even above the Arctic Circle! Have a great trip!
Lynda
Fresno, CA  USA   06/17/2009

Dietary Restriction Help
My husband is allergic to anchovies so he thoroughly researches menu items that may contain the small fish and writes them down on a slip of paper he carries with him when in a foreign country. He also writes down the spelling of "anchovy" in whatever language the country uses, so there is no chance of ingesting even one anchovy.
Sarah <email>
Fallbrook, CA  USA   05/02/2009