Special diet
Apr 16th, 2005, 02:04 PM
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Special diet
What word of advice does anyone have for us? My husband is on a very strict salt free diet. We will be staying in an apartment so able to get around most foods in Rome, but also going to Tuscany with a group and staying in hotels.I know the bread in Tuscany is generally salt free. If we have Italian phrases explaining will the chefs/waiters be accomodating????
Apr 16th, 2005, 02:19 PM
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Hello anavert, although I do not have a problem with salt I cannot eat any dairy products or any food with corn (including corn oil, corn starch. etc.)
A suggestion awhile ago on Fodors was to have your food restrictions typed up in Italian and take this to somewhere like Kinko's and have this laminated. Get several copies. That suggestion just in case you "lose" a few.
Even though advising your server of the salt problem, have the server take the laminated card to the kitchen.
I have not done this but it sure seems like a good idea as although most Italian servers understand English I think this would be more foolproof.
My personal experience has been that restaurant servers and chefs go out of their way to accomodate people with dietary restrictions. If they understand them.
A lot of Italians have dietary restrictions and allergies etc. so it is nothing new to restaurants.
BTW, if you like, post here and I will have my Italian born and raised son-in-law write out the salt restriction instructions and I will post it here. He now lives in my city in N CA. Then you can copy it and follow through with Kinko's or whoever for the laminated cards. Not a problem and happy to do it.
Have a beautiful trip and enjoy the wonderful food.
A suggestion awhile ago on Fodors was to have your food restrictions typed up in Italian and take this to somewhere like Kinko's and have this laminated. Get several copies. That suggestion just in case you "lose" a few.
Even though advising your server of the salt problem, have the server take the laminated card to the kitchen.
I have not done this but it sure seems like a good idea as although most Italian servers understand English I think this would be more foolproof.
My personal experience has been that restaurant servers and chefs go out of their way to accomodate people with dietary restrictions. If they understand them.
A lot of Italians have dietary restrictions and allergies etc. so it is nothing new to restaurants.
BTW, if you like, post here and I will have my Italian born and raised son-in-law write out the salt restriction instructions and I will post it here. He now lives in my city in N CA. Then you can copy it and follow through with Kinko's or whoever for the laminated cards. Not a problem and happy to do it.
Have a beautiful trip and enjoy the wonderful food.
Apr 16th, 2005, 02:24 PM
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Since he is on a very strict salt free diet you will likely want to stay away from sauces and soups.
Maybe you can bring a stack of index card size notes printed out with the phrase politely describing your needs in Italian. While you can probably get the gist of low salt through in a spoken phrase, what that means may be open to interpratation.
Something like "Can you please recommend something on the menu that is salt free. For health reasons I am on a very strict salt free diet. Thank you"
or "is the chef able to prepare something....."
Grilled fishes or meats (except a Florentine Beefsteak - bisteca fiorentina, which by tradition is a juicy steak grilled with a crust of salt on it)
My Italian is very limited and even that is rusty, so I hope others will be able to help you further.
Maybe you can bring a stack of index card size notes printed out with the phrase politely describing your needs in Italian. While you can probably get the gist of low salt through in a spoken phrase, what that means may be open to interpratation.
Something like "Can you please recommend something on the menu that is salt free. For health reasons I am on a very strict salt free diet. Thank you"
or "is the chef able to prepare something....."
Grilled fishes or meats (except a Florentine Beefsteak - bisteca fiorentina, which by tradition is a juicy steak grilled with a crust of salt on it)
My Italian is very limited and even that is rusty, so I hope others will be able to help you further.
Apr 16th, 2005, 02:25 PM
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Sadly, the only salt free thing I ever tasted in Tuscany is that bread. I've had the saltiest foods in the world there it seems. They salt abundantly in Tuscany, but hopefully you can work around that. I can't imagine getting any soups, ragouts, or sauces without salt though.
Apr 16th, 2005, 02:39 PM
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Hi J62- I always say "great minds work together" LOL.
The reason I will have my Italian SIL write out in Italian my food restrictions (named in my previous post) is that in the Domomites I took friends to a fantastic lake side restaurant.
I had a wonderful pasta dish and my Italian friends explained to the waiter my food restrictions. Pasta was wonderful but a tad bit "different".
The next morning, back in the town where we were from I was ill. My Italian friend called the restaurant where we had eaten the day before. It turned out that the chef the day we were there had decided to add cream to the tomato sauce which of course was for the pasta. The waiter had not known this. The restaurant apologized forever about the fact I was ill.
So, do not remember who the poster was, that suggested the Italian translation of dietary restrictions along with laminating the card - and getting several - sure hit me as a very good idea.
Again, the waiter did not know that the Chef had decided that day to add cream to the tomato sauce. The chef did not know I could not handle dairy products.
A big confusion for sure. And thankfully I was alright by the afternoon of the next day. But sure do not want to eat what I cannot handle.
The reason I will have my Italian SIL write out in Italian my food restrictions (named in my previous post) is that in the Domomites I took friends to a fantastic lake side restaurant.
I had a wonderful pasta dish and my Italian friends explained to the waiter my food restrictions. Pasta was wonderful but a tad bit "different".
The next morning, back in the town where we were from I was ill. My Italian friend called the restaurant where we had eaten the day before. It turned out that the chef the day we were there had decided to add cream to the tomato sauce which of course was for the pasta. The waiter had not known this. The restaurant apologized forever about the fact I was ill.
So, do not remember who the poster was, that suggested the Italian translation of dietary restrictions along with laminating the card - and getting several - sure hit me as a very good idea.
Again, the waiter did not know that the Chef had decided that day to add cream to the tomato sauce. The chef did not know I could not handle dairy products.
A big confusion for sure. And thankfully I was alright by the afternoon of the next day. But sure do not want to eat what I cannot handle.
