Advice on Dairy Allergy in Northern Spain/Basque (Bilbao, Leon, Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela)

Do you experience a different reaction with sheep or goat dairy, vs. cow, or is all dairy in the U.S.A. the same?

In the US, it's all problematic. But butter seems to really trip people up because clarified butter or ghee doesn't contain lactose... which is helpful to some but not for someone with a full on dairy allergy, if that makes sense. So some countries seem to list "low lactose" options, but I never really know what that means and assume it doesn't apply to me. This is probably more info than you wanted!

No allergies here and most of my experience with dairy is from the hotel buffet breakfasts. The yogurt is generally Donone (Dannon) and ingredients are listed. Other brands are also used. All the cheeses are labeled sheep, goat, etc., and those that are lactose free are labeled as such. It also uses those small butter and margarine squares. They too list the ingredients.

Non dairy "milk" is usually available in hotels and coffee places.

Allergens are very well indicated on menus. You should have no problem identifying milk products on the menu. There are 14 different allergens that are labeled on menus. A quick search for "EU Alergens Icons" will show the labeling system used.

Just wondering, can you tolerate goat and sheeps milk? If you can try some Idiazabal cheese.

Sky, your doctor is right. I cannot use dairy in the US and yet, in Europe, I have no issues. We just got back from Spain. I had gelato and cheese without any issues. Many of the cheeses were a mixture of cow, goat and sheep. I have more food intolerances and allergies in the US!

Menus in Spain are very serious about listing all of the many allergens....these are noted with numbers next to each dish, and the numbers are explained usually,, at the bottom of the menu.

Many good hotels will have, besides the industrial Danone, far better yogurts presented in glass containers.

But the best yogurts are those made daily at nearby producers and offered at hotel breakfasts in large bowls, to eat with fresh fruits or honey, sometimes from the combs, .......so I do not think there would be an issue for you with those artisanal yogurts...

If you give the names of the hotels, maybe we can offer more details, and I would be happy to recommend restaurants in Santiago and Oviedo, in particular.

I've been disappointed at the breakfasts at the paradors---much industrial sliced cheese and meats....yogurts in plastic cups with lots of additives.....sliced commercial bread instead of the triumphs from the local bakers--Galcia is among the best hubs for bread in all of spain..........Santiago Parador is much better than most, but if you let us know your hotels and maybe we can be more helpful.,..

When I am faced with a dull breakfast at a hotel I make a point of visiting a market, or even a grocery store, and picking up a few items. .if your hotel has a mini fridge you can store it there. Lacking that, the hosts should be accommodating in light of your allergies, and offer to store it in their kitchen fridge..... Keep in mind that many travelers use mediations that must be kept cold, so hotels are used to accommodating requests like this...

Thank you! This is really helpful to hear about the menus, that eases my mind a lot. It's also really good to hear about your experience with the dairy there, Ginger, as cross- contamination is a huge problem for me in the states.

This is also helping me narrow my concerns. I am not too worried about the hotels or breakfasts, I will be part of a tour (first time trying one) and as another mentioned, I can pick up a few things from a market to supplement which is how I usually do things. I think I was more concerned about trying to communicate with restaurant staff not in hotels, but if working with allergens is a common practice and is written on menus, then that should help. I think the tapas at bars might also be a challenge, but that might just have to be something I miss.
Thanks to all for your input!

For those who don't have allergies, here is a little example of the hurdle. Say if I was to attend a hotel breakfast, I could ask for eggs, but they couldn't be prepared in the same pan or same spatula as the other eggs. I would have to have access to the nutritional info for any cereals or any bread if I wanted to have toast. I typically can not use those all in one coffee makers they are so fond of in the US, to use hot water, because the milk is mixed in the coffee before it is dispensed. In summary, I never plan on being able to eat the provided breakfast! It's just a lot of hassle!

I am allergic to dairy and wheat. I have spent 5 weeks in Spain recently. I have found that I can eat eggs at the buffet breakfasts because they use olive oil not butter for cooking them. I have been able to find enough to eat at the buffet breakfasts. The one thing I do is always arrive a little before the breakfast opens, so I am the first person or one of the first people at breakfast and that avoids cross contamination because of the utensils.

Thanks Traveltravel, it sounds like you had a successful trip with all your allergies. How was your experience in restaurants outside the hotel or bars with tapas?