Gelato in Italy

[mrsbugsywugsy]

I am going to Italy later this week and I will be 20 weeks pregnant.

Does anyone know if I can eat Gelato, as it contains uncooked eggs? However I thought maybe freezing would kill the bacteria?

I've been fairly relaxed about eating runny eggs here in the UK as I know they are vaccinated against salmonella, but I don't know if the same applies in Italy.

Thanks! I have also posted this on the pregnancy board.

PS If anyone has any general advice for visiting Italy that would also be much appreciated. It will be my first time there and we are going to Rome, Naples and the Amalfi coast.

Can you stick to eating premade branded ice cream instead?

I forgot to add that we have just returned from the Sorrento area and we were plagued with mosquitos. I don't normally get bitten, but had several bites this time so take plenty of insect repellant. The forecast is for thunderstorms all week, so I hope it clears up for you in time. Hopefully they will clear the air as Italy has had the hottest summer for decades and it was unbearably hot and humid when we were there.

I went to Italy a few weeks ago - it was lovely but sooooo hot, I'm also pregnant and ate loads of gelato, cheese and cold meat but i've never been very precious about that sort of thing. I figure there'd be very few Europeans if we stuck to these guidelines too rigidly. Go and enjoy yourself.

But be warned we went to the Amalfi coast a few years ago and it is very expensive.

Anywhere in Italy is expensive these days. Public transort isn't though. We stayed just outside Sorrento and the return train fare was 2.40 euros each. Historic sites aren't that dear either. Pompeii was 11 euros and free for under 18s.

Ice cream is generally made by boiling milk and pouring it over uncooked eggs. Then heating it slowly to make a thick custard which is then put through an ice cream maker. Hence it should be safe as the process of making it involves enough heat to kill bacteria.

However, ice cream is generally regarded as a danger food because it easily contaminated. The danger from ice cream is therefore not from the eggs in it but from contamination after it has been made by storing in dirty containers, repeated dipping of dirty scoops into the container or even allowing the ice cream to repeatedly melt and refreeze.

Freezing does not kill bacteria it just makes them dormant and then they start to multiply again once in your stomach.

Italy is in the EU so the same hygiene and veterinary rules apply here as in the UK. We are not told to avoid ice cream when pg and I personally ate loads (summer baby!). If you are worried, however, just stick to the fruit flavours as they tend to be sorbets and not made with eggs. The egg containing ones are the "creme" eg. Anything rich like chocolate, hazelnut etc.

Thanks Bunbaker - I will bear that in mind re. mozzies. Although I think I read somewhere else that you can't use most insect repellents during pregnancy as they contain DEET. I don't normally get bitten either, for some reason biting insects love my DP and ignore me.

We've pre-booked cheapish accommodation, and plan to take public transport.

That's interesting MoreBeta. I think I will eat it, but only if the place looks very hygenic.

I guess I could stick with the pre-made stuff although it probably isn't as nice?

Fingers crossed for the weather then!

x-posted with Brangelina. That's interesting, I've been craving fruity things, ice lollies and so on, so I'd be happy to stick with sorbets.

Definitely catch the ferry (or private boat) across to Capri (from Naples or from various places on the Amalfi coast). I can't remember if the trip to the island incl a boat ride around the island or not, but def do that too. We were lucky enough to go swimming in the blue grotto later in the day and that was amazing. I loved the Amalfi Coast and my favourite town was Positano followed by Amalfi. Very picturesque!

We took a boat trip that included a swim in the waters of Capri then over to Positano and Amalfi. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I wish we had got off the boat at Positano rather than Amalfi as it sounded more interesting, and we would have had longer to look around. Amalfi is very touristy and expensive, Capri is even more expensive, and don't consider crossing on the hydrofoil if there is a bit of a swell. Some people in our hotel went to Capri on the hydrofoil and nearly everyone was sick. The boat takes longer but is a gentler option if you are prone to seasickness.

Thanks Bunbaker - I don't get seasick but DP does!