As the new wave of celiac tourism is growing, Córdoba hopes to do an airtight job with food maps, a restaurant approval process, and a new mobile app.

May 14, 2024

“If they tell me that in Asturias (a province in northern Spain) there’s a fabulous gluten-free chocolate doughnut, I’ll go there and then I’ll also ask what else I should see,” says Elena Quiles, from Córdoba in southern Spain. She was diagnosed with celiac disease more than 15 years ago; today she is a member of the Celiac Association of Cordoba and also an avid traveler.

Quiles shines some light on the growing trend of gluten-free travel. “Imagine that as you explore a new city, looking for a place to eat, you always have to carry a snack in your bag—just in case. And then there are events like festivals and fairs where you may not be able to eat anything because of food-safety concerns,” she says. That is how her life long looked after she was informed that she could no longer eat wheat, rye, oats, or barley. But then something changed. She now travels with one goal in mind: to eat some delicious gluten-free meals and then, when possible, visit a site or two as well.

This is celiac tourism—more and more cities are catering to this segment of travelers by providing gastronomic maps highlighting gluten-free offerings along with information and advice on restaurants. The goal is to find an original way to attract this growing demographic who are willing to spend money to experience the pleasure of eating well, without worries.

The influencers of gluten-free travel have helped to lead the trend

For Quiles there was a before and an after, marked by her diagnosis and subsequent embrace of celiac travel. In this new stage in her life, she has made numerous discoveries that she then shares on her social networks, although she shares that her favorite influencer is Ricardo, or Celíaco a los 30 (a Celiac in His 30s) who has thousands of followers on his Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts. He has also helped to popularize celiac tourism, providing recommendations from around the world of places he has discovered and enjoyed on his travels.

He had the idea to create the entertaining and invaluable Gluten-Free Madrid Subway Map, with more than 100 establishments near some of the city’s most popular subway stops.

As far as her own travels, Quiles visited and now recommends Grosso Napolitano in Seville, to pick one example. “I went to Seville just to try the restaurant’s pizzas, ranked number one in artisan pizzas for people with celiac disease in the world. I didn’t hesitate, just packed my bags and went. Afterward, I toured the city, but first I was going to eat my pizza.” She also went on another similar trip to try the Madrid cheesecake made by Dequeso, located in the Spanish capital’s Chamberí Market. The three gluten-free flavors—classic, white chocolate, and chocolate—have proved popular among celiac tourism influencers.

In Granada, Quiles waited for more than an hour and a half at La Tarta de la Madre de Cris just to try the “all-natural, homemade tarts that are additive- and gluten-free.” She organized a whole weekend in the city around the fantastic bakery’s location on the Plaza Pescadería. If you’re up for it afterwards, she recommends visiting the Albaicín quarter for the sunset views of the Alhambra.

Quiles also visited, and now praises, another find from that trip to Granada, “an Italian paradise for people with gluten allergies, Nonna Carmela.” When we ask her about celiac tourism in her own city, Córdoba, where the Celiac Association is offering training and advice to restaurants that want to add gluten-free dishes to their menus, Quiles recommends the Taberna Sociedad Plateros de Maria Auxiliadora. “This restaurant, which has been in Córdoba for more than 40 years, has been a favorite of mine since I was diagnosed with celiac disease. In fact, in an annual ranking of top places for celiac tourism, it has been number one for many years. It’s currently number two.”

She also has suggestions for restaurants throughout Spain that serve excellent tasting menus like Labamba Cook Art in Zaragoza and Lilot in Soria. In Madrid and Barcelona, Chöck Gluten Free is a destination for those who love chocolate but want to enjoy it in gluten-free desserts. Of course, in addition to people diagnosed with celiac disease, the broader celiac tourism market also includes their friends and partners, happy to enjoy the occasional gluten-free meal.

In short, there is more and more specialization, and according to the Spanish Federation of Celiac Associations, there are currently an estimated 450,000 people with celiac disease in Spain—that’s roughly 1 percent of the population. There is a higher prevalence among women, and of this 1 percent some 75 percent of them are undiagnosed.

A word of caution

Although more and more establishments are offering gluten-free dishes, the truth is that “you should be skeptical about some of them,” says Quiles. “Now there is a wider range of gastronomic offerings but you have to be careful. As the number of these businesses has grown and gluten-free foods have become a trend, there are restaurants that are interested in preparing gluten-free dishes but they lack expertise. They are sometimes unaware of the dangers when dishes aren’t prepared properly,” she says.

That is why the Celiac Association, which hopes to put Córdoba at the forefront of cities in terms of its gluten-free offerings, is advising restaurants and creating a process to recognize gluten-free businesses. Together with the Tourism Department at the University of Córdoba they are also developing a mobile app for celiac travelers. Visitors will be able to search for, to pick one example, all the gluten-free restaurants near the city’s famous mosque with just one click.

Similar tools for travelers has already been available for 10 years in Malaga and five in Seville. But as the new wave of gastro-celiac tourism is growing, ones are being developed in other gastronomic cities popular with tourists.

Finally, Quiles wants to debunk a common myth often found on social media and elsewhere, namely that eating a gluten-free diet will help you to lose weight. She says this idea and other fads are doing a disservice. “We are witnessing a boom in the number of gluten-free restaurants where there are incidents of cross-contamination in their kitchens. In other words, if a flamenquín (a traditional Córdoba dish of deep-fried pork and jamón serrano) with gluten is fried in oil which is then used to make gluten-free potatoes, the potatoes will be harmful to people with celiac disease.” Some restaurants also serve both breads with gluten and others without it in the same basket. Assuring that restaurants truly understand celiac disease and properly prepare and serve gluten-free dishes are necessary steps as this travel trend grows.

Source : cntraveler

May 2024