rancherswife

I will be traveling to Slovenia & Croatia and must have a gluten free diet. How difficult will this be for restaurant dining? Could anyone give me phrases to use when ordering that would help convey my special diet need? Thankfully wine is gluten free but I am concerned about traditional dishes that I should avoid.

Cathinjoetown

A friend of mine with celiac disease is very active in this organization:

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-fr...ctory-updates/

Note in the left column FAQs. While your specific question may not be answered, I am sure you can post a query. Might want to try the US organization as well.

julia_t

In Croatia fresh fish is big on the menus, so that shouldn't pose a problem.

I strongly recommend getting a card from somewhere like www.dietarycard.com which will list exactly what you can and can't eat, and which you can customise for your individual needs. I would not risk any possible mis-translation which might cause you discomfort, or worse by getting translations off the internet. (This particularly applies when the alphabet is different eg Serbia, Bulgaria or if there are accents on some letters which if wrong can alter the meaning of words).

I've ordered cards for my gluten-dairy-soya-yeast-avoiding daughter when travelling; she now has quite a collection of cards, which she produces when the menu arrives and then the waiter will advise, or more often the chef himself will come out and he will suggest what she can eat. In our experience he/she often finds it an enjoyable challenge to cook a special and delicious meal for her!

Good luck, and please do post back to let us know how you get on.

julia_t

Posted too soon, but I want to add that daughter always travels with a packet of g/f spaghetti, assorted granola bars or some cereal, some vacuum-packed g/f bread (we can buy it here in England) and some g/f crackers just so she has something in an emergency should she need it. We have no compunction about taking the pasta into an Italian restaurant and asking them to cook it in a separate pan!

rancherswife

Thank you for the kindness in your responses. You obviously understand the difficulties required with a special diet. This is my first foreign travel experience since being diagnosed with gluten allergies. I was not aware of the dietary cards so really appreciate that tip. I, too, travel with my own "supplies" so I am self-sufficient if there is nothing to eat. I find that usually I can get by with salad but it does get tiresome. I also hate to be a fuss but am not willing to get sick over eating questionable items. I have communicated with a couple of farmhouse stays and they are willing to accommodate my diet so am hopeful I will have options. We are not traveling until September but I will post back to let you know how I get on. This is not a subject I have seen discussed much and I am sure there are other who would like to know how to manage better.

Cathinjoetown

I forgot to add that the large supermarkets and organic food shops in my area (rural SW France) now have large sections dedicated to gluten-free foods. Major change in the 5 years' we've been here. So, might be worth looking for in Slovenia and Croatia.