Need Food Advice
 

Beginning Sat June 30, we will be in Tuscany for 8 days. I am seriously allergic to wheat. Please advise me on what to eat and how to order. Thank you. Mangionne Fermento!

Obviously stay away from pastas and pizza. Order meat and fish "alla griglia" which is grilled. Fried fish is normally coated in flour as are many vegetables like zucchini blossoms and articokes. Many soups are thickened with flour too, so you should carry a few laminated cards that say "Sono allergico a frumento" (I'm allergic to wheat)to show to the waiter.

I'm sorry to hear this, it sounds really bad. Wheat is in so many foods. What can you eat at home?

You might also add "Se mangio il frumento morirò", If I eat wheat I will die.

(I think I have it right.)

((I))

Hi M,

Are rice - risotto and corn - p0lents - OK?

((I))

Please help me understand why ordering in Italy is any more confusing for you than ordering at home? You can eat vegetables, meats, fish, etec, just as you can at home. Many people with severe allergies take along a card with their restrictions printed in the local language perhaps you could do this.

The word for wheat is "grano."

drink a lot of wine!
Is Gnocchi ok - because it is fabulous in Italy.
I had it once with a pesto and fresh ricotta sauce and it was fantastic out-of-this-world good!

My daughter is a celiac and she has a hard time eating out. It's not just wheat - there's some other grains too (barley, rye, spelt). Unfortunately, you'll find wheat in some vinegars, ketchup and soy sauce, even some icecream!. And, as someone alluded to above, you can't use the same pan to fry something that has just had a wheat flour coated thing in it.
Have your card made up in Italian but also include a hint about where wheat might be found, such as ketchup. Because the cook may not necessarily know. Just this past weekend, we ate at a Cali-Thai place. Brought our own Tamari (Wheat free soy.) Daughter got sick from the oil/vinegar dressing on the tiny salad that was part of the dish.
This same daughter has to take a business trip to China for 2 weeks. It will be most difficult.
You have my sympathy maribeth. let us know how you get on.

A lot of people use the term allergic when they actually mean insensitive and aren't necessarily taken seriously. If you have an anaphylactic allergic response to wheat, then you should carry around a card stating that you can die if exposed to it and of course, your epipens. You can also include a short list of acceptable alternative foods if you feel comfortable with the restaurant's level of understanding. It can be very challenging traveling with such restrictions but with some preparation and planning, you should have an amazing trip!

Hi Stevie,

>Is Gnocchi ok

Probably not, it is usually made with wheat flour.

((I))

I thought it was made with potatoes!

It is usually made from potatoes. There is also gnocchi alla Romana which is made from semolina flour.

Here is a link to a site through which you can order just the kind of laminated card you are looking for.

http://www.selectwisely.com/

Best of luck, and enjoy your trip!

:-)

I have a gnocci recipe that is made with equal parts flour and mashed potatoes so I would probably steer clear of gnocci unless you know for sure.

Tracy

Gnocchi are rolled in flour prior to cooking.
If you have Celiac disease, you should know that Italians, and Europeans in general, are very aware of the disorder. You will probably have less trouble than you would in the US.

Carol L

That is what I thought, Carol. My concern is that in some European situations, servers and cooks are very offended if one sends food back, so I am trying to prevent trouble. I have been in hospital 7 times with severe hives and carry an Epipen since 1989. I eat plain whole foods here, and order from the Gluten Free Pantry, as well as buying many items at top shelf health food stores. Americans are now better informed , also, and some franchises, such as Outback, are very savvy about this whole issue.
I have contacted the card company- thank you for the information, and hope they can send me the card pronto. If not, my son will be on the trip and hopefully, all of us can work to keep me safe. Some of the ideas, like the salad dressings, were very helpful. I will simply order greens and use lemon as a dressing. Thanks so much to all of you. No pity is needed. I am adjusted to living with this problem and totally cognizant of the many people whose problems are far worse than this one.

An FYI on the "salad dressing." As far as I can remember, Italian restaurants don't have the variety of salad dressings (ranch, thousand island, blue cheese) that American places have. In my experience, you'll be brought your lettuce plain, along with cruets of olive oil and vinegar. Then you can add your own dressings in the proportions that you desire. Though come to think of it, the only place I remember seeing this type of salad was in Rome.

Many vegetables should be ok (other than those that are breaded). Most of the time, when we ordered vegetables in Italy (notably my favorite, artichokes), they were prepared with olive oil and salt, and sauteed or grilled. My husband often ordered potatoes, which were cubed or sliced, and also sauteed or baked with olive oil. Also listed under vegetables are the delicious Tuscan white beans, which are called fagioli. You should ask and use your card, but look at the "contorni" sections of menus for some delicious possibilities!

And again, ask at the restaurants, but usually risotto (rice) and polenta (cornmeal) are not prepared with wheat flour.

Order what you do at home - simple

>>Is Gnocchi ok

Probably not, it is usually made with wheat flour.

>I thought it was made with potatoes!

>It is usually made from potatoes.

I have scanned my 9 potato gnocchi recipes.

They all have flour in them.

If you try to make them using only potatoes, they will fall apart when you boil them.

((I))

hmmm interesting..... no gnocchi then.