If you’re vegan and you’ve ever traveled beyond the perimeter of a major metropolis, then you know what it is to be a scavenger: navigating the complex puzzle of scarcity and survival; eating whatever is available to be eaten (like gas station Oreos). Knowing how to order food is a non-starter if there are no good options to be had.
Depending on where you’re traveling, it’s often even more challenging to find decent food abroad when you’ve got dietary restrictions. There’s not much you can do about the lack of good dairy-free options in France, but at the very least, you can learn to communicate your food preferences effectively. And because food is such a culturally loaded topic, this is one area where Google Translate might not always help you very much.
Here are a few essential phrases for non-omnivore travelers, translated into seven major languages.
“What are your vegetarian/vegan options?”
German: Welche vegetarischen/veganen Alternativen haben Sie?
French: Quelles sont vos options végétariennes/végétaliennes ?
Italian: Quali sono le vostre opzioni vegetariane/vegane?
Spanish: ¿Cuáles son las opciones vegatarianas/veganas del menú?
Swedish: Vad har ni för vegetariska/veganska alternativ?
Turkish: Vejetaryen/Vegan seçenekleriniz neler?
Russian: Какие вегетарианские/веганские опции у вас есть? (Kakeeye veghetarianskye/veganskye optsie ooh vas yest?)
“Is this gluten-free?”
German: Ist das glutenfrei?
French: Est-ce que c’est sans gluten ?
Italian: È senza glutine?
Spanish: ¿Es sin gluten?
Swedish: Är det här glutenfritt?
Turkish: Bu glutensiz mi?
Russian: Это без содержания глютена? (Eto beez soderzhanye glutina?)
“I have a severe food allergy. Can your kitchen use separate equipment to prepare my meal?”
German: Ich habe eine starke Allergie. Wäre es möglich, bei der Zubereitung meines Gerichts separate Kochutensilien zu verwenden?
French: Je suis allergique à certains produits alimentaires. Pourriez-vous utiliser des ustensiles de cuisine différents pour préparer mon repas ?
Italian: Ho una grave forma di allergia alimentare. È possibile per la cucina utilizzare pentole e utensili a parte per preparare il mio piatto?
Spanish: Soy alérgico/a a varios alimentos. ¿Sería mucha molestia si los cocineros usasen otros utensilios para preparar mi comida aparte?
Swedish: Jag har svår matallergi. Kan köket laga min mat med separata köksredskap?
Turkish: Gıda alerjim var. Yemeğim farklı gereçlerle hazırlanabilir mi?
Russian: У меня сильная пищевая аллергия. Вы могли бы использовать отдельное оборудование для приготовления моего блюда? (Oo menya seelnaye peeshevaye alergiye. Vih moglee bih eespolzovat odelnaye oborudovanye dlya prigotovleniye moyego blyuda?)
“I’m allergic to _____.” (wheat, dairy, shellfish, eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy)
German: Ich bin allergisch gegen _____. (Weizen, Laktose, Meeresfrüchte, Eier, Milch, Erdnüsse, Nüsse, Soja)
French: Je suis allergique ____. (au blé, aux produits laitiers, aux crustacés, aux œufs, au lait, à l’arachide, aux noix, au soja)
Italian: Ho un’allergia ______. (al grano, ai atticini, ai crostacei, alle uova, al latte, alle arachidi, alla frutta a guscio, alla soia)
Spanish: Soy alérgico/a _____. (al trigo, a los productos lácteos, al marisco, a los huevos, a los cacahuetes, a los frutos secos, a la soja)
Swedish: Jag är allergisk mot _____. (vete, mjölkprodukter, skaldjur, ägg, mjölk, jordnötter, nötter, soja)
Turkish: ________ karşı alerjim var. (una/sütlü ürünlere/deniz ürünlerine/yumurtaya/süte/yer fıstığına/fındığa/cevize/mademe/kajuya/soyaya)
Note: “Tree nuts” isn’t a word in Turkish, but you can use the four words before “soyaya” to say “hazelnut,” “walnut,” “almond” and “cashew” — in that order.
Russian: У меня аллергия на (пшеницу, молочные продукты, ракообразных, яйца, молоко, арахис, лесные орехи, сою). (Oo menya alergiye na…pshenitsu, molochniye produktih, rakubraznih, yaitsa, moloko, arahis, lesniye orehee, soyu)
“Can you make this without _____?” (meat, cheese, dairy)
German: Könnte ich das auch ohne ____ haben? (Fleisch, Käse, Milchprodukte)
French: Pourriez-vous préparer ce plat sans ____ ? (viande, fromage, produits laitiers)
Italian: È possibile cucinare questo piatto senza_____? (carne, formaggio, latticini)
Spanish: ¿Puede preparar este plato sin ____? (carne, queso, productos lácteos)
Swedish: Kan ni laga den här rätten utan ________? (kött, ost, mjölkprodukter)
Turkish: Bunu etsiz ______? (peynirsiz, süt ürünleri kullanmadan, hazırlayabilir misiniz)
Russian: Вы можете приготовить это без (мяса, сыра, использования молочных продуктов)? (Vih mozhete prigotovyet eto beez…myasa, sihra, eespolzovanye molochneyih produktov?)
“Do you know of any good ______ restaurants in town?” (vegan, vegetarian, paleo)
German: Kennen Sie ein gutes ____ Restaurant in der Nähe? (veganes, vegetarisches, Paläo-)
French: Connaissez-vous des bons restaurants ____ en ville ? (végétaliens, végétariens, paléo)
Italian: Conoscete qualche buon ristorante ______ in zona? (vegano, vegetariano, paleo)
Spanish: ¿Conoces algún restaurante bueno donde sirvan comida vegetariana/vegana/paleo?
Swedish: Vet du någon bra _____ restaurang i stan? (vegansk, vegetarisk, paleo-)
Turkish: Şehir merkezinde tavsiye edebileceğiniz ________ restoranlar var mı? (vegan, vejetaryen, paleo)
Russian: Вы знаете какие-нибудь хорошие (вегетарианские, веганские, палео) рестораны в городе? (Vih znayete kakiye-nebut horosheye (veghetarianskye, veganskye, pahleyo) restoranih vgorodeh?)
“Is this meal prepared with the same equipment or oil as your meat dishes?”
German: Wird dieses Gericht mit denselben Kochutensilien oder in demselben Öl zubereitet wie ihre Fleischgerichte?
French: Est-ce que ce plat est préparé avec les mêmes ustensiles ou la même huile que les plats de viande ?
Italian: Questo piatto è stato preparato con gli stessi utensili da cucina o con lo stesso olio dei vostri piatti con la carne?
Spanish: ¿Habéis preparado este plato con los mismos utensilios o el mismo aceite que usasteis para los platos con carne?
Swedish: Är den här rätten tillagad med samma köksredskap eller samma olja som era kötträtter?
Turkish: Bu yemeği hazırlarken, etli yemekleriniz için kullandığınız gereçleri veya yağı kullandınız mı?
Russian: Приготовлено ли данное блюдо с использованием того же оборудования или масла, что и ваши мясные блюда? (Pregotovleno li danoye blyuda seespolzovaneyem togo zhe oborydovanye eelee masla, shto ee vasheye myasneye blyuda?)
“What kind of dairy alternatives do you have?”
German: Welche Alternativen zu Milchprodukten haben Sie?
French: Quelles alternatives avez-vous pour remplacer les produits laitiers ?
Italian: Avete prodotti sostitutivi dei latticini?
Spanish: ¿Tenéis otras alternativas a los productos lácteos?
Swedish: Vad har ni för alternativ till mjölkprodukter?
Turkish: Süt ürünü içermeyen alternatifleriniz nelerdir?
Russian: Какие альтернативы молочным продуктам у вас есть? (Kakeeye alternateeveye molochnim produktam oo vas yest?)