Detailed Gluten-Free Restaurant Card — Sweden

One of Europe’s easiest countries — almost

Sweden has excellent celiac awareness — a high diagnosis rate and strong labeling laws. Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö have dedicated gluten-free bakeries and restaurants, and many fika cafés keep a gluten-free option. I still ask about breadcrumb and flour every time — they hide in meatballs and sauces.

What’s on the card

• A plain explanation of celiaki in Swedish
• What I can’t eat and where gluten hides: köttbullar that usually contain breadcrumb, falukorv and other sausages that often contain wheat, gravies and cream sauces sometimes thickened with flour
• What’s usually safe: lax — grilled, smoked, or gravad — and kokt potatis with lingonsylt on the side
• The kitchen questions — including “Are the meatballs made with breadcrumb?” and “Is the sauce thickened with flour?”

What’s in the travel companion (page 2)

• How I find celiac-aware places: “glutenfri” on menus and bakery windows, the celiaki.se directory from Svenska Celiakiförbundet, and asking “Har ni glutenfria alternativ?”
• Dishes worth ordering (dedicated bakeries even do glutenfria kanelbullar), shopping notes (Semper Glutenfri, Fria, Schär, and Coop’s Änglamark glutenfri line; big sections at Coop and ICA), and where options cluster — Södermalm and Gamla Stan in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala
• If you get glutened: the apotek phrase “jag har celiaki och har fått i mig gluten” — most pharmacists speak fluent English — and 112 as the emergency number

The honest certification picture

Svenska Celiakiförbundet, Sweden’s celiac federation, publishes eating-out resources. The överkorsat ax (crossed-grain mark) certifies packaged foods, not restaurant dishes, and “glutenfri” on labels is an EU-regulated claim (max 20 ppm). No mark follows the food onto a restaurant plate — the card handles that conversation in Swedish.

Format

Instant download: a 2-page PDF, printable or phone-friendly.

This card helps communicate your dietary needs. It does not guarantee a gluten-free meal or eliminate cross-contact risk. Always use your judgment, and when in doubt, do not eat. Not medical advice.