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Budapest and Allergies - update

Traveling to a country new to us is always makes me nervous due to my son's allergies to all nuts including peanuts. I previously posted questions about this prior to leaving. I wanted to give an update so anyone searching for allergy information can find our experience.

We had no issues with his food allergies during the 4 days we spent in Budapest. We probably ate in some restaurants that many would consider "touristy" and not even consider. However, for our purposes, it gave us a taste of Hungarian food and a bit of piece of mind for his allergies.

We also did a food tour and the guide was great at checking with every location regarding ingredients. He was able to eat everything on the tour but the small desserts at the end from a coffee house. I did get the impression that the lovely woman leading the tour didn't quite understand the seriousness of food allergies. She didn't understand why the other person in the group that had nut allergies wasn't able to just take the almonds off the top of a dessert and eat what was left. I don't fault her for this because if you haven't been exposed personally to the seriousness of a food allergy that could cause anaphylaxis, you might not quite grasp the seriousness about cross contamination.

For those who might wonder, the food tour also included longos, chimney cakes, Hungarian strudel, sausages (from a local butcher), along with a small lunch portion from a Transylvanian restaurant that was similar to chicken paprikash but made with pork. Oh, and I can't forget about the shots of Palinka.

Posted by
6552 posts

Thanks for the update, amyk. Yes, people do need to know that some allergies are indeed life threatening, with even minuscule amounts causing serious problems.

My good friend with a seafood allergy ate one noodle from her husband's plate and ended up in the emergency room. The noodle hadn't touched the seafood, but evidently had touched the sauce, which hubbie carefully wiped off before putting the noodle on her plate. Terrifying!

Posted by
4871 posts

Ultimately it seems to me the burden falls to the person with the allergy, they must always be on guard and be prepared. Others may mean well but as you note, not everyone takes the matter seriously. It can be really serious so make sure someone is carrying epinephrine at all times.

Posted by
606 posts

Hi amyk, I’m glad everything went smoothly for you and your son. And I’d love the name of the food tour folks. I’m going to Budapest in October and was planning on a food tour. Also anything else you’d care to share about your time in the city……Thanks.

Posted by
4893 posts

That is great news! And thanks for reporting back! It would definitely be helpful for future travelers to know where you were able to eat with your son’s allergies!

Posted by
201 posts

Great news, amyk! Allergies are scary and traveling with allergies can be tiring. I'm so happy to hear your trip went so well. Yay!