Another guest post from Little S
I have just returned from my final backpacking trip of the year. I travelled to Istanbul, Sofia, Corfu, Albania and Montenegro. In this post, I am going to focus on my experience in the Balkans specifically (Corfu, Albania and Montenegro).
Before embarking on this trip, I was feeling anxious due to the language barriers, the lack of EU regulation on food labelling and the sheer lack of information available online about travelling the Balkans with food allergies – so, I’m hoping this post may help other people considering visiting any of these beautiful countries.
Along my route, I opted wherever possible to stay in Airbnbs instead of hostels, as often they were most cost effective and would have a kitchen which was imperative for me.
Something that was really game changing were my Equal Eats allergy translation cards in Greek, Albanian and Croatian. They were super helpful for double checking labels for my allergens. I did also use a translation card when I tried to eat out in Kotor, Montenegro. I had found a restaurant with an English website, who had multiple instagram posts about dietary requirements and inclusion. I showed the card to the chef who unfortunately refused to cater to my allergens. This was of course disappointing, but I would rather that than be served food which isn’t safe for me.
CORFU
In Corfu, we stayed in a small, but beautiful, beach town called Agios Gordios. The supermarkets were all very small, but surprisingly they were amazingly stocked with a wide range of safe products! I spotted Alpro yoghurts and plant-based milks, Uncle Ben’s microwave rice sachets, Barilla pasta (I found this in every shop I visited in the Balkans – it was certainly my holy grail!), as well as vegan, nut and sesame free flatbreads.
Within Corfu Old Town, I braved ordering a coffee with plant-based milk at Coffee Island (a chain found across Greece). The server was helpful and understanding and it was great to be able to have a safe iced latte – I would recommend keeping an eye out for their branches while in Greece!
ALBANIA
From Corfu, we took a ferry to Saranda (Albania) and travelled up the country, stopping in Berat, Tirana and Shkoder also. In all of these towns, there were small corner shop style stores everywhere. Due to the cost of meals out being so low, food was sometimes limited in these smaller stores. The main products that I looked for were Barilla pasta and Barilla jarred pasta sauce as well as Doritos (not suitable for milk allergy sufferers in the UK, but almost every flavour was fine in Albania), as well as little snacks such as these smoothie pouches which seemed to be available everywhere (see photo below). These were a refreshing treat, which I used as a substitute for getting an ice cream on hot afternoons.
Of course, there were larger supermarkets, such as Spar and Conad. I had a particularly good experience shopping at Conad, where I was able to find the Missura brand, who sell vegan and nut free croissants and biscuits. These were a great find as apart from Lotus Biscoff, biscuits are near impossible to find in the UK/ the Balkans alike! I also spotted brands such as Alpro, Violife cheeses, a wide range of plant-based milks, Valsoia yoghurts, cooking cream and cream cheese, and safe wraps/ flatbreads.
One specific piece of advice I wanted to add was about coffee in Albania. Lots of smaller, independent coffee shops did not have plant-based milks on offer. Also, in Albania an iced latte is not quite the same as in the UK, and most likely will come with a layer of cream served on the top. Especially considering the language barrier, I’d advise steering clear of milky coffees and instead opting for a juice/ black coffee or tea.
MONTENEGRO
Supermarket-wise, Montenegro was pretty similar to Albania in terms of brands available (Barilla pasta, Uncle Bens, Old El Paso etc). Food labels would often be in English, French or Italian so they were easy to translate, especially using the feature on Google translate to photograph a label and have it automatically translated. On the odd occasion, labels would only be in Montenegrin, which caused some difficulty due to it not being a widely spoken language and often not available on translation websites. It is similar to Croatian, but any translation should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt!
A final piece of general advice for travelling abroad that I picked up was about ordering cocktails. Due to not eating out on my trip, I’d often order a nice cocktail as a treat in the evening. It can be difficult to ask about allergies in drinks, especially in parts of the world where food allergies are not as prevalent in society. I would always opt for a Hugo Spritz (or your spritz of choice), a mojito or a spirit and mixer. Occasionally, cocktails can contain milk or egg white to create a foam so I found it safest to choose a drink with a set list of ingredients which will always be the same, and also ordering a drink which is clear in colour was reassuring as I could clearly see the drink did not contain milk or egg white.
To summarise, I certainly felt apprehensive before my trip around the Balkans – mainly due to the unknown food situation. I found virtually no information on line, with a few people saying allergies are not commonly understood in this part of the World. However, in all of the areas I visited (often being the more touristy areas), it was pretty straightforward to navigate my allergies! Food labelling was clear, with many brands in supermarkets being imported from the UK, Italy and France. Staying in accommodation with a kitchen was vital to feel secure and comfortable with what I was eating, especially due to Albanian and Montenegrin being languages I can not speak at all!
With a little planning and a suitcase full of snacks and spices/ sauces, travelling the Balkans is very possible with food allergies. I hope that anyone reading this will consider giving these beautiful countries a visit in the future!
