Mangia! Mangia! (Dietary Restrictions in Italy)

When you have some dietary restrictions, whether it’s a vegetarian diet or a severe allergy to nuts, traveling can be a bit extra stressful.  But with some research and planning, it doesn’t have to be!  Here’s some tasty advice and links on how to conquer The Boot despite any special dietary needs you might have:

On Your Flight: most international airlines provide special meal options, whether its vegetarian, vegan, kosher, etc.  Call your airline and make the request, it’s really painless I promise.  And the best part?  You get your meal before everyone else!  Yup,  while everyone else cranes their necks to see where the food cart is, hoping there’s still the pasta and they’re not stuck with the meatloaf, you will already be munching on something that’s probably a lot tastier anyways.

Labels:  not all countries have super strict labeling laws.  Make sure to read all labels, but keep in mind that they might be leaving something out, such as a note that it “may contain nuts”.

Eating Out:  always make sure to clearly tell the waiter/waitress/chef if you have a food allergy…this way they can be sure to not contaminate something by using the same skillets etc.  I find that telling them you’re allergic to something usually gets the point across here in Italy…better so than if you just say you’re a vegetarian etc.  I know that might sound silly, but I’ve had people try to serve me prosciutto after I told them I’m vegetarian.

SelectWisely.com: This is a website which sells cards for everything from food allergies to medical allergies.  The idea is you can have certain important phrases about your diet restrictions or allergies written in a few languages on a card that you carry at all times, making it a lot easier to conquer any language barrier.  If you have some severe allergies, its worth taking a look!

Do your reasearch beforehand, as certain countries may use alternate/different ingredients to their sauces, etc, that you’re not used to.  For example wheat flours are often added in sauces to make them thicker, or ground almonds might be used in some pastries.

Nuts!:those of you with any allergies to nuts, beware as you are entering the world of Nutella…be especially careful with any sort of pastries and desserts!  Italians love their hazelnuts and almonds especially, and tend to put them in lots of things.  At the bar, those chocolate-filled pastries usually have hazelnut in them as well.  And on the dessert menu, only sorbet’s or granita’s might be safe.  At the gelato shop, pay close attention that they don’t grab a scoop of “nocciola” (hazelnut) instead of “caffe’, as they’re the same color and easy enough to mistake.  And when it comes to contamination, even the fruity flavours might have had a scoop in them with a nutty flavour.  Also even flavors that don’t have something inside it, take a look at what might be sprinkled on top, ie: chocolate!  So depending on the severity of your allergies, you might want to choose your gelateria carefully, OR at the very least make it super clear to the people scooping that you are very allergic to nuts.  Some gelateria’s better known for being allergy-friendly are: Gelateria San Crispino (Via Acaia 56, Via della Panetteria 42, and at Fiumicino Airport Terminal A), and Gelateria Fata Morgana (Via Lago di Lesina 9, Via Ostiense 36) which is also gluten-free/lactose-free/sugar-free friendly and known for unique flavours.  The chain Blu Ice also tends to have some Soy/dairy and sugar free gelato choices!</p>

Celiacs/Gluten-Intolerance/Wheat Allergies: I know that the idea of having any sort of diet restriction involving no wheat or gluten in the land of pizza and pasta might sound like being diabetic in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory (I myself am Celiac), but you’d be surprised how well you can still eat here regardless!  You can always ask about things on the menu that you’re unsure of (for example if they bread certain items like melanzana alla parmigiana).  There are plenty of other things like risottos and polentas etc, and you can always ask they prepare something special.  For a really good list of Gluten-Free restaurants throughout Italy, look here at celiacchicks.com!  And when in the stores, read your labels carefully!  Just like anywhere else in the world, sometimes there will still be a trace amount of a something containing gluten or wheat!  For more info, here’s the Celiac Society webpage for Italy!

Veggies: even at your typical ristorante,  being a vegetarian really isn’t so hard here.  There’s generally plenty of meatless options, and usually it’s pretty easy to modify a dish so that it’s veggie-friendly.  With rice dishes, risottos, and soups:  double-check that they don’t use a meat broth.   And always ask about something you don’t know.  For example a pasta “alla amatriciana” or “alla carbonara” will have bacon in it, a “pizza Napolitano” will have anchovies, etc.  For lots of advice and restaurant recommendations all over The Boot, look here at HappyCow!

Vegan:this is definitely trickier, as most items on the menu at a regular ristorante or bar  will contain things like eggs, butter, creams, and cheese.  Pizza-wise there’s almost always a pizza option without meat or cheese.  Gelato-wise, you’ll be happy to know that it’s actually not so hard to find “gelato di soia”, soy gelato, at most bigger gelaterias.  Soy gelatos are sugar and lactose free…but the “panna” whipped cream topping might not be.   For lots of advice and restaurant recommendations all over The Boot, look here at HappyCow!

Diabetes: There are special bakeries, soy gelatos, sugar-free options in most supermarkets a-go-go to accommodate your dietary needs!  See any of the above websites and info for celiacs/veggie/vegan/etc and you’ll find all you need to know!  You can also look in most any “Farmacia”, or Pharmacy, for diabetes-friendly options.

On The Menu:
The “Primi”, the first plates, are generally always pasta and rice dishes.  Unless you are in a special restaurant that makes special pastas, these will almost always be made from wheat flours, and therefore contain gluten.  You can ask what is in the sauces that make up the rice dishes.  The “Secondi”, the second plates, almost always involve a meat or fish, vegetarians beware!  Often a meatless second plate will be melanzana alla parmigiana, eggplant parmesan (sometimes breaded, sometimes not).    “Zuppi”, or soups, almost always have a “minestra di verdure” option, which is usually a veggie soup made with vegetable broth.  If you’re vegan make sure to ask that they not sprinkle any cheese on top!  “Risotti”, thick rice dishes, are slow-cooked with broth.  Make sure to ask what kind of broth they use as they may or may not use a meat broth.  “Contorni”, or side dishes, usually veggies, are usually prepared with olive oil rather than butter, and will clearly say if they are fried or not.  “Dolci”, or sweets, almost always will involve eggs, wheat flours, creams, and often some type of nut.  There’s also fruit options, however, or sometimes “granita” which is a flavoured ice (commonly lemon or coffee flavoured).

Here’s a great table of all-things-menu translated from italian to English:

BUON APPETITO!