Anyone else NOT know what pesto is?!

[glasjam]

Only, I have just got back from an appointment at the local children's hospital - I have been waiting for over 3 months since my local GP referred my 18 month old son after a reaction to eating pesto (he came out in hives instantly on 2 occasions) - the doctor suspected as I did that it must be a reaction to pine nuts and thought it prudent to have some tests. He has excema too but it has calmed down substantially thanks to a regime of steroid creams, oilatum baths and oilatum moisturising oil.

So I go along, a little bit suspicious that I am going to see a consultant dermatologist rather than an allergy specialist. When I explain about the pesto - she looked at me blankly and said "and what's pesto?" - so I explain to her that it is a sauce that a lot of people have these days with pasta and she asks what's in it - so I explain, olive oil, cheese etc, but the main suspect is pine nuts. Pine nuts? she says, they're not on my list of nuts - they're quite unusual.

At that point I realised that I was probably wasting my time! I then had to endure being talked to about the excema whilst all the time thinking "I know this!" I didn't come here for the excema alone , I came here to explore the potential pine NUT allergy! I was rather hoping for an allergy test! I came away with the sage advice to probably avoid pesto in future because it obviously doesn't agree with him.

Am I a total ponce to think that she should be familiar with pesto?! And the possibility of pine nut allergy?

Everyone knows that. I'm not really a foodie either. Have never paid money for a jamie or a nigella eg. Just to give you a benchmark of how normal knowing this is.

How odd. Pine nuts are a relatively common allergen aren't they?

Did she suggestyou stick to MacDonalds in future? None of your fancy ingredients!

From Food Standards Agency Site:

Pine nut allergy

Pine nuts (or pine kernels) are actually seeds, rather than nuts. But some people are allergic to pine nuts, particularly people who are allergic to more than one type of nut. Peanuts are sometimes used as a substitute for pine nuts in food products such as pesto, so people who are allergic to peanuts should be very careful about eating foods traditionally made with pine nuts.

If you are allergic to nuts, it's a good idea to avoid pine nuts and other seeds, to be on the safe side, unless you already know you are not allergic to them.

People who are allergic to pine nuts might also react to peanuts and nuts such as almonds.

She's a dope. Pesto is standard fodder these days.

Sorry I must be quite dim, as I couldn't have told you the ingredients of pesto. I have heard of it though!! Sounds like you might need to go back to your GP

I couldn't have told you the ingredients of Pesto either

I know what it is. Doesn't mean I have to like it though

Nor could I! But having dd with alsorts of allergies including nuts I have to cook from scratch and not buy any sauces ect so maybe I have an excuse lol.

I know what you mean about these teedius appointments though. I go along knowing full well they are a waste of time too.

I can fully understand why some people might not know the precise ingredients of pesto - but you would think, wouldn't you, that someone who often has to explore potential irritants in food and their association with excema might be a bit more in the know about what a large amount of the populace is exposed to wouldn't you?? It was also her reaction to finding out that it was pine nuts - as if she was thinking what in God's name are you doing feeding those to your child - they're not even on my list! Like I'd gone out in my garden and picked up some random seeds! The fact that the allergy information relating to pesto and pine nuts is sitting right there on the Food Standards Agency website makes its inexcusable in my opinion!

Holland and Barrett do an alternative pesto (dairy free) which I think is also made with cashews in stead of pine nuts (if he is OK with them...). It's not quite the same though.

Yes she sounds particularly unhelpful. Is he ok with other nuts?

Most Pesto sauces contain cashews in at as well as pine nuts, ds is allergic to most tree nuts and seseme and sunflower seeds, but he is fine on pesto that doesn't have cashew, which only one I have come across is Tesco Finest.

I was going to say the same Christy - in fact, I think the sacla pesto uses walnuts, not pine nuts. So it's worth checking all nut allergies.

On the pesto not-knowing thing, that is a bit strange. But then, I have a friend who broke up with a man after on date two, he took her to a chain pizza place and then to rub salt into the wound, didn't know what pesto was!

I know what pesto is and how it tasetes. I know it has cheese of some sort in it and the red one has peppers and tomatoes but had no clue about the other ingredients such as nuts. [thick emoticon]