gluten-free In Germany--help?

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I'll be traveling to Europe for work, and have a very tough schedule with no possibility of traveling independently from the rest of the group. I'll have my peanut butter, canned salmon, and rice crackers, but I'm only allowed one suitcase for 3 weeks, so I can't pack 3 weeks of that!

Does anybody have any experience gluten-free on the go with these cities?

I'm posting separate threads for all the other cities we will be dragged to, so these are not duplicate threads!

Thanks so much!

[Ursa Major]

Oh, too bad I don't have any relatives anywhere near those cities! The place in Germany you'll find tons of gluten-free foods are called 'Reformhaus' (which is a health food store). You can find them in every city and larger town.

Many restaurants have gluten-free options. Celiac disease is called 'Zoeliakie' in German. Gluten is pronounced differently, with the emphasis on the last syllable, which gets lengthened, like 'glu-tane'. Most Germans speak a passable English.

Germans like to thicken sauces and gravies with cornstarch or potato starch rather than flour. So, sauces might be safe (ask what they have been thickened with).

Are you able to call ahead to places you are staying in, to make sure they have food for you? If they know, they'll likely rush out and get gluten-free foods, even if they don't usually have them. Germans are very hospitable, and 'the guest is King' and needs to be accommodated at all cost! Hotels and restaurants will pride themselves on being willing to do anything to make sure you get fed. But they need to know, of course.

[seamaiden399]

I posted over on your other thread- so hi again! Just a heads up, you might not be allowed to bring your canned salmon through customs, although to memory the US tends to be more strict about "meat"... then again, Vienna was the easiest security/customs experience ever, we basically just walked out so probably no one would notice anyway even if there is a law about it.

If you have a chance you can stock up at grocery stores and health food stores in Germany. Also, if you're doing the crazed bus on the autobahn thing, Landzeit autobahn restaurants have awesome salad bars that are more like deli counters- variety will vary on the place, but the best one had a really posh seafood etc. salad counter as well as veggie salad counters. Open Original Shared Link I'm not sure if they're just an Austrian thing or are also in Germany. Other autobahn restaurants may have equally good salad bars, and may have plain hot dogs or meats- you probably want to research your "wurst" before you go to find safe varieties, so you may not be completely starving. Good to have backup though, definitely! You can always have soda, water, high calorie coffee drinks and schnapps if you're into that sort of thing. Oh, and Gluwein should be gluten-free. You may have luck with Rosti potato "hash browns" as well- I found them made fresh and with just potatoes.

Enjoy and I hope this helps a little!

-sea

from the www.bookofyum.com

PS it would be great if sauces were all thickened with potato starch- the Celiac society led me to believe that they wouldn't be, so be really careful about this. I was very paranoid my entire trip about sauces, which makes it tricky when almost everything comes with a sauce. lol. Definitely bring dining cards in German if you can!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Thanks so much--I wonder if I can talk them into arranging a lunch stop at a landzeit? I'm getting hungry just reading your descriptions!

[Owen'sMom]

We currently still live in Germany but not close to the cities you are traveling to. Reformhaus is a great place to get gluten free foods. There is also a store called "Real" , which is kind of like a Walmart in the states, they also have gluten free foods. I checked the website and they have a Real in every city you posted.

[Phyllis28]

If you know where you will be staying you might consider mailing food to one or more of the hotels in advance before you leave. You would need to contact the hotels first to see if they are willing to accept and hold the package.

Have a great trip.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

If you know where you will be staying you might consider mailing food to one or more of the hotels in advance before you leave. You would need to contact the hotels first to see if they are willing to accept and hold the package.

Have a great trip.

Ummm--what kind of food were you thinking I could mail from the US to Europe??? Like most celiacs, I tend to eat fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, fish, chicken, meat, rice, potatoes, etc.

[Phyllis28]

I was thinking about non persishable ittems such as gluten free bars (Lara, Enjoy Life, Glutino etc...), Dry soup like Tai Kitchen, gluten free cereal, rice bread, Glutino Preztels, peanut butter and jelly. The rice bread is iffy is since most do not have preservitives. These are not full meals but could tied you over until you can locate a meal.

I have not tried mailing food to a foriegn country. You probably will need to check the customs regulations of the receiving country before you mail anything.

These are the kinds of items I would normally pack when going on a trip that requires moving from place to place. I suggested mailing do to your space limitations. Are you allowed to bring a carryon such as a small backpack? If so you, this may help with your one suitecase limitation. Below is a link to my favorite backpack.

Open Original Shared Link

This backpack fits underneath an airline seat, is very lightweight and holds a lot. This is where I pack my non perishables. It will easily hold two loaves of rice bread, 20 gluten free bars (out of the box), a small jar of peanut butter, a small jar of jelly and still have only be two-thirds to three quarters full.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Just noticed your post--thanks for the suggestion about the backpack. That does look fantastic!

I will probably order one when I get back (no time before I leave) for the next trip!

I don't think mailing stuff will work--we are only staying in each hotel for one night, and there are too many possibilities for things to get screwed u. Plus it would cost a FORTUNE--gluten-free non-perishable food is ridiculously expensive in the first place without sending it overseas, too, not to mention sending it to 15 different hotels!