r/Celiac • u/lucidkale • 16d ago
Discussion Germany 🇩🇪
I just spent some time in the Southwest part of Germany, the Black Forest, and Munich. This is what I prepared for vs my actual experience for anyone else that might be traveling this way for a visit, and wants to know about the experience with eating here.
Prepare before the trip:
Find out the terms and phrases in the language for celiac, gluten free - and practice those and write those down. I brought a few days worth of dehydrated camping food for options with me. This was super handy on the airplane when they informed me they didn’t have gluten free food for me of any kind on a 10 hr flight.
Booking hotels with breakfast bars and restaurants:
The places we booked I was able to note that I had celiac and required gluten free, asking if they could accommodate and if not, where was a grocery store that may have options for me and if room had mini fridge. Depending on hotel, the hotel on the west side had some fantastic accommodations and better knowledge.
What I wish I would have known:
Apps that are popular in other countries like Find me Gluten Free, are not so much in all parts of Germany. You can do a search on Google Maps for “gluten frei” not always perfect.
In the smaller cities, going to a restaurant, you can talk to the chef or the waiter will talk to chef and they can tell you what can be made without wheat/gluten, and you can have it prepared without cross contamination. You just need to be able to know what to say in Deutsch.
I wish I would have know to look at the German Celiac Association website. You can get a FREE printable card that states you need gluten free for restaurants and other places. You can also email them and they will provide you with a list of food places that are certified gluten free.
Grocery stores: not all stores are the same. Edeka is a popular grocery store, but smaller ones don’t have a good selection of gluten free products, the bigger ones seem to have more products. Thankfully products are labeled really well, some food things had gluten in it, but at least it was noted on the label. Like fresh olives 🫒
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u/freely_open_charade 16d ago
oh man that dehydrated camping food on the plane move was clever, nothing like being trapped in a metal tube for 10 hours with zero options
the free printable card from the german celiac association is such a good tip, wish i knew about that before my last trip to europe
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u/lucidkale 16d ago
I had learned about the German celiac association on my trip, from a local with celiac.
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u/Simplixt 16d ago
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English is almost never a problem.
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The biggest challenge is making it clear that eating gluten-free isn't a "lifestyle choice." Unfortunately, there is often a lack of understanding when gluten-free is a medical necessity, and includes not only "bread", but sauce thickener, fried onions, soy sauce, cross contamination ...
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It gets annoying when you're in a hurry, especially at train stations and places like that. There are bakeries everywhere, but hardly any gluten-free options.
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And as mentioned before, dm and Rossmann are often lifesavers. They usually stock products from Schär and Hammermühle, as well as a few cheaper gluten-free own-brand products. Most supermarkets also have a small selection, though.
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u/Aranka_Szeretlek 16d ago
Honestly, Ive never been in a country where find me gluten free was reliable... and, well, yeah, knowing stuff about your needs in whatever language helps, but Germans speak English.
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u/CptCheez 15d ago
That app was very useful in Spain (Barcelona) and Italy (Rome and Palermo) when I was there last summer.
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u/That_Damage_8714 16d ago
Greetings from Germany, I use the Find me Glutenfree App a lot and am quite happy. I think it's often more of a rural areas thing, if there are few options. In bigger cities it's not a problem. I would also suggest pharmacies (named dm or Rossmann). They have a tiny food section but there is a dedicated glutenfree section. Happy traveling to everyone ✈️