June 10, 2014

Shopping Gluten-Free in Budapest


It’s been nine months since I started eating and therefore shopping gluten free. At first, my shopping time almost tripled because I had to read every ingredient on anything I was interested in buying (and of course the ingredients are all written in Hungarian). After a month or two, things became a lot easier. I became an expert speed reader of Hungarian ingredients, and I settled into a routine of knowing which products I could eat.

I can do most of my shopping at markets and typical grocery stores, but I cannot get everything I need there. In order to make baked goods or certain meals at home that would normally contain gluten, I must make my way to specialty shops to get the ingredients. There is one specialty shop, Diet ABC, that has been an absolute life saver, and I would recommend it to anyone in Budapest who needs to eat gluten free or is faced with the challenge of cooking for someone who is celiac. They carry a wide variety of alternative flours, flour blends, pastas, crackers, cookies, breads, cereals, and other snacks that are all gluten free. The shop also has a bakery and cafĂ© on site that makes fresh bread, pizzas, baked goods, cakes and ice cream (with GF cones!!). I expected the prices to be astronomical, but to be honest they are very reasonable; only slightly higher than what you would be paying for the same gluten-filled product in a supermarket. Their location has proved to be very convenient as well. It is one minute from the Ecseri utca M3 metro stop, which just happens to be the stop that Bill gets off at to go to work. He’s been so wonderful and supportive about picking up strange ingredients like sorghum flour for me and adding in the sweet surprise of bringing home a slice of gluten free cake every now and then.





Address: 1091 Budapest, Ulloi utca 149
Hours: M-F, 7:30-19:00; 7:30-18:00


No comments:

Post a Comment