Dietary & Allergies

1. Sunt vegetarian.

   I am vegetarian.

   Usage

   Declares vegetarianism; women say "vegetariană"

   Grammar Note

   Adjectives inflect for gender

2. Sunt vegan și nu mănânc niciun produs de origine animală.

   I'm vegan and don't eat any animal-derived product.

   Usage

   Avoids all animal-derived foods

   Grammar Note

   "niciun" is the negative article

3. Am alergie la fructe cu coajă lemnoasă.

   I have a nut allergy.

   Usage

   Tree-nut allergy in general (almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pistachio). Peanuts are "arahide", a separate allergen

   Grammar Note

   "Am alergie la + noun" pattern. Do NOT use "nuci" — it means walnut (Juglans regia) only. "fructe cu coajă lemnoasă" is the Romanian umbrella term covering almonds, hazelnuts, cashews etc., and this is what appears on allergen menus

4. Aveți un meniu fără gluten?

   Do you have a gluten-free menu?

   Usage

   Standard celiac question

   Grammar Note

   "Aveți" is 2nd-person plural/formal

5. Sunt musulman și nu mănânc carne de porc.

   I'm Muslim and don't eat pork.

   Usage

   Muslim observance; women say "musulmană"

   Grammar Note

   "carne de + animal" expresses meat type

6. Sunt intolerant la lactoză.

   I am lactose intolerant.

   Usage

   Declares lactose intolerance; women say "intolerantă"

   Grammar Note

   Distinct from an allergy

7. Sunt alergic la fructe de mare.

   I'm allergic to seafood.

   Usage

   Seafood allergy

   Grammar Note

   "alergic la + noun" pattern

8. Ce ingrediente are acest fel de mâncare?

   What ingredients does this dish have?

   Usage

   Standard ingredient-check question

   Grammar Note

   "Ce" = "what / which"

9. Puteți să-l preparați fără ceapă?

   Can you prepare it without onion?

   Usage

   Request to omit an ingredient

   Grammar Note

   "să" marks the subjunctive

10. Am alergie la ouă.

    I have an egg allergy.

    Usage

    Watch for hidden eggs

    Grammar Note

    "ou" neuter sing., plural "ouă"

11. Aveți informații despre alergeni?

    Do you have allergen information?

    Usage

    Mandatory in EU restaurants

    Grammar Note

    "despre + noun" = "about ~"

12. Această alergie pune viața în pericol. Vă rog să fiți foarte atenți.

    This allergy is life-threatening. Please be very careful.

    Usage

    Communicates anaphylaxis risk

    Grammar Note

    "Vă rog să + subjunctive" politely requests

13. Conține ulei de arahide?

    Does it contain peanut oil?

    Usage

    Important at Asian restaurants

    Grammar Note

    "ulei de + noun" expresses oil type

14. Folosiți ustensile separate pentru mâncărurile fără alergeni?

    Do you use separate utensils for allergen-free dishes?

    Usage

    Checks cross-contamination

    Grammar Note

    "contaminare încrucișată" is the technical term

15. Vă mulțumesc că ați ținut cont de nevoile mele alimentare.

    Thank you for considering my dietary needs.

    Usage

    Polite gratitude

    Grammar Note

    "Vă mulțumesc că + verb" = "Thanks for ~ing"

16. Din motive religioase, nu mănânc carne de vită.

    For religious reasons I don't eat beef.

    Usage

    Explains religious avoidance of beef

    Grammar Note

    "Din motive + adjective" = "for ~ reasons"

17. Carne de porc

    Pork

    Usage

    Point to check whether a dish contains pork; also used for religious restrictions

18. Carne de vită

    Beef

    Usage

    Point to check whether a dish contains beef

19. Carne de pui

    Chicken

    Usage

    Point to check whether a dish contains chicken

20. Pește

    Fish

    Usage

    Fish as an ingredient — point at it on a menu or a stall; the word has an unrelated slang sense, so use it in a food context

21. Ou

    Egg

    Usage

    Used when checking for egg in a dish

    Grammar Note

    Neuter noun; plural "ouă", which is what ingredient lists normally show

22. Lactate

    Dairy products

    Usage

    Covers milk, cheese, butter and the rest; the same word appears on shelves and labels

23. Arahide

    Peanuts

    Usage

    For checking peanut content — a word that can matter for anaphylaxis

24. Nuci, migdale, alune, caju, fistic

    Nuts

    Usage

    On its own, Nuci means walnuts. The umbrella term is fructe cu coajă. Peanuts are separate — arahide

25. Crustacee

    Crustaceans / shellfish

    Usage

    Shrimp, crab and the like — the formal term used on EU allergen labels

26. Grâu

    Wheat

    Usage

    For checking wheat content; gluten is "gluten"

27. Soia

    Soy

    Usage

    For checking soy content; soy sauce is "sos de soia"

28. Susan

    Sesame

    Usage

    For checking sesame, which hides in bread and hummus

29. Alcool

    Alcohol

    Usage

    For checking whether a dish is cooked with alcohol — Romanian sauces sometimes use white wine

30. Gelatină

    Gelatine

    Usage

    Usually pork-derived, so it matters for religious and vegetarian diets; found in desserts and sweets

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