Bring my husband and two adult daughters to France in June. I have been several times but they have not. We will spend 5 days in Paris and then travel to the Cote D'Azur where we will spend 5 nights with Villefrance-sur-Mer.
One of my daughters has celiac and cannot tolerate gluten, as well a severe allergy to nuts and sesame. I am looking for any recommendations for dining at restaurants that will accommodate food allergies.
Thanks,
I feel for your daughter. I have CD, lactose intolerance, and histamine intolerance. I regularly use the Find Me Gluten Free app. There is also a website, but be aware that not all restaurants are listed on the website, and you can't use the map feature unless you purchase the subscription. I purchase a yearly subscription because we travel enough to make it worth it for me. FMGF only covers the gluten, but I have found that restaurants that understand celiac disease usually also understand and accommodate other food intolerances well.
I do a lot of research online before our trips using Google Maps and searching "gluten free" or "gluten free restaurant." There are some travel blogs such as Wheatless Wanderlust that I visit for ideas. I also conduct a Google search for something such as "gluten free restaurants in Paris" and see what comes up.
Good luck, remember to bring snacks, and enjoy your trip!
I am looking for any recommendations for dining at restaurants that
will accommodate food allergies
In France, restaurants must provide customers with written information listing all allergens contained in the proposed dishes.
This can be a chalkboard, a notebook, a written note on the menu, or any other information system directly and freely accessible to customers.
If you do not see this list, ask the waiter for it.
Here is the complete official list of allergens that must be listed:
Cereals containing gluten
Crustaceans and crustacean products
Eggs and egg products
Fish and fish products
Peanuts and peanut products
Soy and soy products
Milk and milk products (including lactose)
Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, Queensland nuts, pistachios) and products made from these nuts
Celery and celery products
Mustard and mustard products
Sesame seeds and sesame seed products
Sulfur dioxide and sulfites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/l
Lupin and lupin products
Molluscs and mollusc products
I agree with JoLui that restaurants are supposed to identify these allergens, however, after traveling to many countries in Europe that have this regulation, I have found that many restaurants do not.
How does your daughter find eating out at home? Many people with severe, life threatening allergies prefer to prepare their own foods because of the dangers of cross contamination. Most restaurants will caveat any menu information by explaining that cross contamination is always a risk if the kitchen uses nuts or sesame ingredients in other dishes.
