Allervibe
Eating with a food allergy in Turkey
Turkish packaged food follows an allergen list modelled on the EU's, but restaurants have no duty to tell you anything, and the sweets, breads and mezze that make the food memorable are dense with nuts, sesame and dairy. A card in Turkish is how you ask a busy kitchen a precise question.
What labels and restaurants will tell you
- The Turkish Food Codex labelling regulation lists the same 14 allergen groups as the EU and requires them to be emphasised in the ingredients of pre-packaged food.
- There is no obligation for restaurants, lokantas or street vendors to provide allergen information; staff knowledge varies enormously.
- "May contain" style warnings are voluntary and inconsistently used, as in the EU.
Where the common allergens hide
- Tree nuts: pistachio in baklava, künefe and ice cream; hazelnut in spreads and sweets; walnut in stuffed dishes and pastries.
- Sesame: simit bread rings, tahini in hummus and sweets, helva, sesame on pide and börek.
- Milk: yoghurt and cheese in mezze, ayran, butter in rice and pastries; kaymak on desserts.
- Egg and wheat: börek, pide, mantı pastry; bulgur is wheat.
How to use the card
Hand it over before you order, not after the food arrives, and wait for the person who cooks — not just the one who takes the order — to read it. If a dish is doubtful, the safest answer is a different dish, not a modified one. For packaged food, scan the barcode with Allervibe: it reads the ingredient list in the local language and checks it against the same allergens on your card.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Turkish allergy card free?
Yes. Pick your allergens, add a name if you want one, and print. No account, no app, no email.
Who translated the card?
The allergen names and the card wording are the same translations used inside the Allervibe app, reviewed by native speakers. They use the legal allergen terms, not slang, so a cook or waiter recognises them at once.
What size is it?
Credit-card size (85.6 × 54 mm), so it fits a wallet or phone case. Print two and keep one in your passport.
Can I make one in a language other than Turkish?
Yes — the language picker on this page offers fourteen languages, and you can print a card in each.
Cards in other languages
Japanese · Thai · Vietnamese · Greek · German · French · Spanish · Italian · Portuguese · Dutch · Polish · Croatian · All languages
