Has anyone with nut allergies done a cruise out of Barcelona?

[kelzer]

Hi

I am doing a cruise of the NCL Epic out of Barcelona this July. I am allergic to tree nuts and have heard that a lot of nuts are used in Spanish cooking (including many dishes with powdered almonds). Has anyone with a nut allergy stayed in Barcelona pre or cruise and if so, how did you manage to eat safely.

[Jobeth66]

Wow. Timely thread. I'm doing a cruise out of Barcelona in May, with 2 days in the city post-cruise.

 

My husband has literally suddenly developed an allergy to almonds. A bad one - hives and what looks like sunburn.

 

I really don't want him to have to deal with that on vacation.

[riffatsea]

Hi, There are lots of discussions about this on the Trip Advisor Spain forums. It seems that most folks carry these wallet sized cards with explanations about the allergies translated into Spanish.

Here is one web site that does this:

https://www.allergytranslation.com/Home/home.php

 

You can read some of the discussions on this topic here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/SearchForums?scope=2&ff=42&geo=187427&q=nut+allergy&sub-search.x=1&sub-search.y=4&sub-search=Click+to+search+forums&returnTo=__2F__

[kelzer]

Thanks so much. I will check out this site.

[Jobeth66]

Thank you!

[cruiseluv]

Hi

I am doing a cruise of the NCL Epic out of Barcelona this July. I am allergic to tree nuts and have heard that a lot of nuts are used in Spanish cooking (including many dishes with powdered almonds). Has anyone with a nut allergy stayed in Barcelona pre or cruise and if so, how did you manage to eat safely.

 

I travel to Spain frequently and this is the first time I have ever heard of this.

[riffatsea]

cruiseluv, You probably have not heard of this because you don't have an allergy to almonds or other nuts. IF you read the link I provided the discussions mention that lots of pastries and desserts(even custard) use almond flour/paste etc. You would not notice if you were not allergic.

[jocap]

Yes, I'm allergic to tree nuts, which is much alleviated by taking an anti-histamine every night (on GP's instruction) because of bad reactions I've had.....

I've gone to Spain for much of my adult life....and I steer away from sweets and puddings- as simple as that! Even a simple dish may have chopped nuts on top as a decoration...that happens all over the world, I'm afraid. I'm not sure whether chestnuts cause a problem, but I'm not willing to risk it- and ground chestnuts can be made into a paste or flour. Watch the desserts on the ship, too...this nutty decoration can appear anywhere! :eek:

Jo.

[SuiteTraveler]

I hope you travel with one or more Epi Pens? And, of course, you should always have pink Benedryl with you and possibly a Medrol Dose kit (check with your doctor.) The number to call for medical emergency in Spain is 112.

 

Nuts can be found in many, many dishes in Spain - not just sweets, but even with entrees, rice dishes and empanadas and in the drink horchata and you will have to be very vigilant to insure you don't accidentally get a dish that contains nuts. Tortilla Espana is usually safe, as are Pimentos and seafood at tapas bars. Manchego cheese is often accompanied by nuts. Of course if you pick banderillas, you should be able to tell what it is that you are eating. Fortunately, most menus are in Spanish AND English. I think the allergy warning card printed in Spanish is a great idea for restaurant dining. Here is a helpful phrase for restaurants:

 

Tengo una alergia severa a las frutos secos, y es muy importante que mi comida no contendrá ningunas frutos secos o aceites de frutos secos. Muchas gracias

por su ayuda.

 

Translation: I have a severe allergy to nuts and nut oils, and it's very important that my food doesn't contain any nuts or nut oils. Many thanks for your help.

 

Another concern is oil. Typically Spanish food contains olive oil, but the second most common is sunflower oil. This is how you tell the waiter not to use sun flower oil in your food:

 

'POR FAVOR, NO USEN ACEITES QUE NO SEAN DE OLIVA PARA PREPARAR MIS PLATOS. SOMOS ALTAMENTE ALÉRGICOS A LOS ACEITES DE GIRASOL' (do not ever use sunflower oils. Use only olive ones)

[jocap]

Thank you for that posting- I'll copy it for my next cruise, which includes Malaga and Vigo.

My GP is keeping me on anti-histamines, and for 2 years now I've not had the choking at night...the last 2 bad turns were from beef cooked in almonds....which friends didn't tell me until we'd eaten it....and tea tree oil, which I never dreamt could cause distress....and I was using it against my allergy rash....

Thanks.

Jo.