Expect people to be willing to accommodate dietary restrictions. Familiarity with oral allergy syndrome, or with the foods that trigger your reactions, is less certain. There isn’t enough evidence to judge allergy awareness across Bhutan as a whole.

A [2013 discussion of this exact question](https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/13879/how-well-are-allergies-understood-in-bhutan) includes the traveler’s update after their trip. They reported very few difficulties: people respected their food restrictions, and many spoke some English. People didn’t always understand which foods counted as fruits or nuts, though, and most meals on the trip weren’t ordered à la carte. It’s an encouraging account, but it’s one traveler’s experience from 2013.

Bhutan operator [MyBhutan handles allergy requests](https://www.mybhutan.com/policies/tnc), though it warns that kitchens may have different standards for keeping allergens separate. It also asks travelers to remind whoever serves their food about their allergies. I’d arrange this in advance and check again at each meal.

I’d bring a short allergy card you can reuse. Explanatory flyers would be less useful for getting your specific restrictions across.

- Give your operator or guide an exact list of foods. Broad terms such as “fruit,” “nuts,” or “OAS” leave too much room for misunderstanding. Ask them to brief each kitchen.
- For each trigger, specify whether you need to avoid it raw, cooked, or both, based on what you already know you tolerate. [ACAAI guidance](https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/food/pollen-food-allergy-syndrome/) explains that cooking often helps with OAS, but doesn’t guarantee you can tolerate a food.
- Have your guide help prepare or check a Dzongkha version of the card.
- Use concrete wording: “These foods cause an allergic reaction. Please check with the cook, including sauces and garnishes.”

You may need to repeat these instructions at each new kitchen. A guide who understands your restrictions should make that easier, without your having to explain the medical mechanism to everyone.