When we moved to Germany 2 years ago, I was still gluten intolerant, or maybe gluten sensitive. In fact in my 10 years of being gluten intolerant, I never cheated and had gluten once. It wasn’t until a separate health issue this year led me to get a colonoscopy and therefor eating gluten to test for celiacs did I find out that not only am I not celiac, but that I am no longer gluten intolerant!
I can’t tell you how scary that first bite of gluten was as I prepped for the test and how shocked I was when I didn’t immediately get so ill! now that I can eat gluten around the world, I feel I have a unique perspective to see what you’re missing and what you’re not when you come to Europe with a dietary concern about gluten.
Whether you are Gluten Free or Gluten Full in Europe
- Beer & Bread
Cliche, I know, but these are two things that just don’t taste the same without gluten and are the easiest thing to eat again without thinking about it. But even that isn’t as bad as it seems. Belgium makes some really tasty gluten free beers and let be real, I only eat the bread as a vehicle for butter and salt anyways. Luckily there are so many wine fests, you don’t even miss beer! - Too much bread
Gluten doesn’t make everything taste better. A lot of times I will avoid the heavy sandwiches and bread dishes because they overpower the rest. I would rather have the food mixed in a bowl or plate than smothered in bread that may not be that great to start. I prefer my bread to be delicious and on its own. Honestly, I don’t think you’re missing out if you can’t eat bread. - Translation
The hardest part is probably the translation struggle and then the nerves of not being 100% sure if they understood. A lot of places know it these days and what is cool about Europe is most menus have allergen information all over them from wheat, eggs, shellfish, to gluten and more! - Limiting other dietary restrictions
When we moved to Germany I was vegetarian and gluten intolerant. If you can’t eat gluten, it becomes almost impossible to avoid meat because all of the vegetarian dishes are pasta and everything in Europe has meat in it. (I realized this the first week) Unless you want to exist on salad, cheese, and potatoes…you end up eating meat so that you aren’t driving yourself and everyone else nuts trying to find a suitable menu. - Pizza & Pasta
When I travelled to Italy in 2011 I was shocked at how many places had gluten free pizza and pasta! Things have only gotten more popular since then and there have been tons of times I have been able to eat delicious carb-loaded meals without the gluten! You won’t have to miss out - Gelato & Macarons
The two desserts I associate most with Europe are both naturally gluten free! Even now, I do ice cream without the cone so no change at all. And macarons are made with almond flower and insanely delicious so everyone can enjoy them!
The bottom line is, if you are gluten-free and traveling to Europe, you’re not going to be missing out on the experience. There are so many things that you can enjoy that are naturally gluten free, and the rest is easy. Most menus these days have allergen information all over them so Europeans really seem to understand it well, even the grocery stores have better options than what I was used to in the states!
So don’t let it hold you back or let others think it can! Because no matter what, wine is always gluten free!
Xx
Kali