Travelling And Living In Germany

[uruguaya1193]

Hey Everyone,

My question is kind of broken up into two main parts: the plane ride there and what to do afterwards.

Next week, I am flying Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Germany. From where I am it is a ten hour flight and I really don't look forward to the prospect of not eating at all for 10+ hours. With that said, I'm not sure that Lufthansa offers gluten free meals (even upon request in advance). Any suggestions as to what I should do in terms of snacks? I can't bring fresh fruit or anything because of customs...

Also, once I get into Germany, I will be going to Bremen. Any experience with trying to eat gluten free there? I am considering going to college there next year so I kind of wanted to know what my experience would be like in terms of food in Bremen and Germany in general.

Thanks

[love2travel]

We're flying to Frankfurt soon, too, but with Air Canada. Their gluten-free food is TERRIBLE!!! So, I have purchased several snacks (i.e. dried fruit and nuts, crackers, falafel chips) to take along and will be making my own crackers, etc. We are then flying to Venice where we will replenish my gluten-free stock and then drive to Croatia to our house. The flights/airports are what I dread most as we travel to Europe regularly. Although I've been to many places in Germany I have not been to Bremen so cannot comment on that.

I would recommend memorizing or at least writing down gluten-free phrases so you know what to look for on packaging and what to request when eating out. Have you printed out restaurant cards? I have not been to Germany since being diagnosed. Italy is very informed, Croatia is not so that will be really hard. Only 4,000 Croats have been diagnosed with celiac disease so stuff is hard to find (that is why we are stocking up in Italy instead).

I would also check to see whether Germany has a celiac association (they must) which would be very helpful. One brand that would be available in Germany is Schar. Check out their website to see where you can buy products.

Have you seen the toaster bags? I'm taking some along to prevent CC.

Good luck!

[uruguaya1193]

I wasn't even considering asking Lufthansa if they offer gluten free meals. I flew Iberia once and requested a gluten free meal in advance. When I got on the plane they brought me a plate of regular pasta. Needless to say, I didn't eat it.

Thanks for the ideas in terms of dried fruit and nuts and crackers. I will definitely try to make myself some snack packs before leaving.

I have never seen or heard of toaster bags...what are those?

[love2travel]

They are brown papery bags that come in packages of 4. Each can be re-used up to 50 times in a toaster or toaster oven to prevent cross contamination of others' crumbs. I like it for B&Bs so I can take along my own bread and use it without fear. They are really cool! Also ideal for our toaster in our Croatia house as it is tricky to clean.

I am also taking along some Udi Cinnamon Raisin bread to at least give me a bit of sustenance. It's not bad at all. It would keep better than taking my own homemade bread in that situation.

[kareng]

I think these are the ones I have. Called Toast It. Invented years ago, before microwaves in every dorm room. Used to re-heat pizza in the toaster or make veiled cheese. Good way to keep the toast clean.

Open Original Shared Link

[nowheatpete]

Hi

I've posted this before (with just a couple of edits) and thought it might be helpful.

This is a decent restaurant, hotel and store search site for gluten free stuff. It's in German but Goolge translate will sort that for you.

Open Original Shared Link

There are some tips here for restaurants that cater to allergy suffers, it's only general but most of them cater to celiacs I would say.

Open Original Shared Link Advertisement.de/eng/dining_out_with_allergies_guide (a link from this website got deleted once so if it doesn't appear just search "d e l i c a r d o dining out guide" without the superfluous spaces)

If you want yome German allergy vocab you can get it from this website.

Open Original Shared Link

DM is a store that has lots of gluten free products. Its in Germany and eastern Europe.

Store finder -- Open Original Shared Link

Alnatura also has loads of gluten freee products but is only in germany I think.

Store list -- Open Original Shared Link

Hope this helps

[nowheatpete]

Oh, and theres a good German celiac forum here. If you can register I'm sure there are loads of people that can help.

Open Original Shared Link

[Kate79]

Hey Everyone,

My question is kind of broken up into two main parts: the plane ride there and what to do afterwards.

Next week, I am flying Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Germany. From where I am it is a ten hour flight and I really don't look forward to the prospect of not eating at all for 10+ hours. With that said, I'm not sure that Lufthansa offers gluten free meals (even upon request in advance). Any suggestions as to what I should do in terms of snacks? I can't bring fresh fruit or anything because of customs...

Also, once I get into Germany, I will be going to Bremen. Any experience with trying to eat gluten free there? I am considering going to college there next year so I kind of wanted to know what my experience would be like in terms of food in Bremen and Germany in general.

Thanks

Lufthansa DOES offer gluten free meals. I've flown it twice, and both meals were ok. I think it was chicken w/polenta and veggies - plus they provide gluten free bread (not great - it's a German rice bread and is kinda crumbly and dry - but you can eat it!) and fresh fruit cup. They also gave me a gluten-free date & nut bar that was pretty good. There was a gluten free sandwich for the 2nd meal. You probably have to call two or three days in advance to order, and remind them before they start meal service. Both times my name and seat number were on a 'special meal' checklist the flight attendants had, and I didn't have any problem getting my meal. Also, you can bring fresh fruit as long as you eat it on the plane before going through customs. Dried fruit, gluten free pretzels, nuts, energy bars, etc. are good, too. I travel a lot for work and I always bring snacks just in case I don't get the meal, flight delays, etc.

If you're shopping in Germany, Schar and other gluten-free European brands should be easy to find, along w/fresh fruit and veggies. Reformhaus is a health-food store, so you can ask for those - they'll carry gluten-free stuff, but a regular grocery should have options too. Many products have multi-lingual labels, but If you need to look at German labels, 'gluten' is the same in German as in English - and 'ohne gluten' means without gluten, 'gluten frei' means gluten free. Also look for Weizen (wheat) and Mehl (flour).

Germany isn't the easiest country to eat gluten-free in, but there is awareness of celiac disease. Zöliakie is Celiac in German, so you can say "Ich habe Zöliakie" and people will probably understand - but I'd get a meal card in German (unless you speak the language very well) to help explain what you need. Stay away from sauces. Look for 'gegrillt' (grilled) on the menu for meat & fish so you know it's not breaded. Many restaurants will have an English menu or the waiters will speak some English, so they should be able to help you. There's also a lot of Thai and Indian food in Germany, so that might be a good choice, too.

Good luck!

[Mack the Knife]

I recently spent a couple of weeks in Germany and I have to say that the gluten free options weren't great.

Yes, you can get hold of gluten free products pretty easily. Reformhaus health stores and DMs and Rossman drug stores all carry a decent range of stuff (mostly Schar). But I didn't find anything in the supermarkets. Germans are aware of coeliac disease but it is treated like a disease rather than a lifestyle.

I lived mostly off gluten free cornflakes and gluten free muesli (cornflakes with chocolate), and Schar bread rolls. It was made harder by the fact that most hotels in Germany don't have a bar fridge, microwave, kettle or toaster.

Eating out was hard even with the translation cards. Breakfast was difficult. Germany is very big on fresh bread. You can't get regular toast at cafes let alone gluten free toast. Fruit and yoghurt was my only option for breakfast when I ate out.

Germans are big on sausages, pretzels, and they dredge everything in crumbs or flour. Baked potatoes are a good option though. I ate a lot of those. And parsley potatoes. They're fantastic! Mexican and Indian restaurants were also a good option.

I didn't come across a single gluten free or flourless cake or muffin the entire time I was there. This was a bit of a shock. I think I am spoiled living in Australia where gluten free food is so easy to find.

There is a steakhouse chainstore called Maredo in Germany. They have a gluten free menu. That was the only place I found that had one.

[GlutenGladi8or]

I can't bring fresh fruit or anything because of customs...

You can bring fresh fruit on the plane as long as you consume all of it prior to going through customs in Frankfurt. Get those zip lock baggies out and start stuffing them with fresh cut up produce for the flight. Put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes right before you leave for the airport and they will be extra chilled.

Take a pack of all natural turkey breast with you while you're at it.

PS - I was in Baden Baden, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, and Darmstadt last September. The locals will navigate you to safe gluten free suggestions. Enjoy!