Vern

Both my wife and I totally avoid alcohol (my wife is actually allergic to it) and we are concerned that most French cooking uses wine as an ingredient. We are touring France soon and are concerned about how we can order our meals to avoid any wine. Can anyone offer suggestions that would help us to overcome these concerns?

MarkJ

You can always ask your waiter if wine is used in a dish and or ask himher to recommend items wno wine. Also remember that when cooking wwine the alcohol is burned off and only the flavor of the wine remains.

bo_jack

There should be no reason for concern. My wife is alergic to fowl/poultry (the meat, the broth, and eggs in high concentration) -- much more common ingredients than wine -- and we have had very few problems. If you are traveling in a situation where you choose your own restaruants and meals, then go to "ethnic" restaurants which do not cook much with wine -- Italian, Greek, American, mid-eastern. If you are with a tour where restaurants, and possibly meals, are pre-selected -- then simply let the staff know of your preferences, and normally they will accommodate it. If you do not speak French, it might be helpful to carry a note translated into French expressing your food preferences. But, be fairly precise in what they really are: Once in Spain our waiter clearly understood that "chicken" was unacceptable for my wife; but because we had not clearly communicated that the problem was more general than what is sold at KFC, I ended up eating the very tasty cooked peppers served to my wife after being wrapped around pieces of game hen.

Joe

Stay home!

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I have written before about INCREASED SENSITIVITY to tobacco smoke and the rarity of a true allergy to that, and I have a few comments about your concern about avoiding foods cooked in alcohol. <BR> <BR>Food allergies are quite the mystery to many physicians (including myself), and especially to the public. Allergy to alcohol itslef must be exceedingly rare or non-existent, but allergies to components in WINE per se, are undoubtedly very real. Some medications interact with alcohol, and some intereact with specific compounds in red wine in particular, having nothing to do with the alcohol content. <BR> <BR>If you or your wife have shown symptoms to an ALLERGIC reaction to wine before (or food cooked in wine), it might be wise to have the best possible evaluation by an allergist to better define your danger exposures. Swelling of the mouth, tongue or airways soon after exposure to a food are reliable indicators of an allergy. Wheezing hives or other skin signs are almost as certain. Vomiting can be a sign, but might be treated (or prevented) in different ways. <BR> <BR>Some food allergy sufferers experience heightened symptoms if their symptoms come with 1-2 hours after moderate-severe exercise. In fact there are patients who sometimes get labelled "allergic to exercise". Some are even athletes, and they are plagued by a wide variety of foods that do not otherwise bother them except after heavy exercise. If you are not actively exercising, this could even include the amount of walking typical for a Europe tourist on an afternoon of sightseeing. You might want to eat a light snack of known safe foods after a full afternoon of active walking, then nap and eat dinner later. <BR> <BR>You will be able to enjoy much of France's gastronomic pleasures at breakfast and lunch without much trouble. La charcuterie (roughly translated as the delicatessen) is a wonderful "institution" in France where (mostly cold) meats, cheeses and other "treated" foods are sold, and this can be a terrific basis for a picnic lunch. <BR> <BR>For dinners, "les grillades" should almost always be a safe haven. Print this on a card, and don't be afraid or reluctant to show it to your waiters: <BR> <BR>Y-a-t-il du vin dans la sauce? <BR>Nous sommes allergiques aux vins. <BR> <BR>The cuisine of Burgundy, especially in a region where "cuisine morvandaise" is locally popular, is based in large measure on foods poached in red wine. You might simply have to enjoy another region of France than Burgundy. <BR> <BR>And I hope for you that an evaluation by an allergist will indicate that desserts that contain a little rum or brandy will in fact pose no problem. These are some of the most heavenly tastes you will find in any cuisine!

elaine

As mentioned below, for entrees head for grilled fish and meat. You might want to avoid most sauces since many of them do incorporate wine. The alcohol will have been cooked off, but the wine <BR>essence remains. <BR>It will be wise to mention this as a health issue (as opposed to mere orneriness) to your waiters or maitres d', but if this is a serious health problem I would look after myself by sticking to the simplest foods. <BR>For lunch, salads, omelettes,cheese,steak frites, charcuterie will be easy enough to find. <BR>It's elaborate dinner entrees where you have to watch yourself. <BR>I should add if you don't already know that many vinegars are derived from wine <BR>(grape products) so if that's an issue watch what you put on your salads.

Caitlin

In addition to the advice already offere, to order simple grilled foods. and to learn to say and carry a card saying, in French, that you cannot have foods cooked with wine or spirits for medical reasons, I would add that you can find good meals in creperies where fillings are fairly simple and dessert crepes made with alcohol are described as such on menus. For desserts in general, ice creams and tarts should be fine, as menus usually state when they involve spirits (as this is a flovor point). My boyfriend cannot drink/eat alcohol--it makes him violently nauseated even in small amounts--but he is okay if it is well-cooked, i.e. coq au vin isa fine, but a sauce finished with wine is not. He had no trouble finding food made without wine or spirits in Paris recently. When in doubt, ask, and as Elaine says above, make sure to explain that you must avoid it for medical reasons, so that your request will not be treated casually.

Christina

huh, I must move in different circles than most people as I rarely get food cooked in wine in France, wish I did. Unless you are always buying very expensive meals and deliberately choose these type of dishes, this shouldn't be a problem. I have never heard of true alcohol allergies, but if you are convinced of this, that's your business. Many flavorings, etc (ie, vanilla) have alcohol in them, for example, so do you avoid them? Also, when you do cook in wine, the alcohol is burned off and you are left with the flavor. If you order a nice steak grilled a point with frites, for example, it will not be cooked in wine. If you order an omelet and salad with bread for lunch it will not be cooked in wine. If you are that worried about this, there are plenty of other ethnic restaurants in Paris (ie, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Morroccan, not to mention Italian), you can even eat in British pub/restaurants (quite a few of them there, actually) or plenty of American places if you're really worried (quelle horreur).