Gluten free food

Gilly · Jan 16th, 2005, 18:05

I am going to Delhi and surrounds soon and want to know how easy it is to eat out and avoid wheat flour? I am a coeliac which means I have to avoid gluten which is present in wheat.

beach · Jan 16th, 2005, 21:08

North is by and large a 'wheat country', South is rice....

bijapuri · Jan 17th, 2005, 06:38

yes, it is. Just order rice instead of wheat. Available everywhere, darn near. should be no prob. Watch out for some specialty dishes which have wheat dumplings, tho. Still, you'll be OK.

Jan 17th, 2005, 07:04

east = ( bengal + orrissa + assam + north east ) is also very much rice country

machadinha · Jan 17th, 2005, 07:52

Take the others' advice about wheat and rice areas. However unless you know the (number of) languages around you'd be hard pressed to explain to anyone that you can't eat gluten. I suggest you get someone to tell you how to say "no wheat please" in Hindi (for Delhi area) then hope for the best. Be mindful that most things doughy (chapatis etc.) would probably involve wheat.

Jan 17th, 2005, 09:15

just ask for rice instead of trying to list out the things you dont want (ie. chapati, tandoori naan, other wheat based stuff). explaining a technical term like gluten is near impossible - i dont think a corresponding vernacular word exists.

however, you should get a lot of rice based dishes (eg, chicken fried rice, Biryani etc), or at least plain rice (which should be accompanied with one or more, of the 100s of curry based dishes and maybe "daal") in all cities and tourist places in india, whether you are in the "wheat" belt or in the "rice" belt.

in case you are in some kind of fix, just ask for (the hindi word for rice =) CHAWAL (pronounced "cha-wul", cha like "bra" and wal like "hull")

seventies'hippy · Jan 23rd, 2005, 13:01

Your biggest problem will be the temptation for snacks, samosas, Kachoris etc, Pakoras though should be made from gram flour which is GF.
I think masala dosas are probably GF too are'nt they rice flour!,
Potato crisps are available everywhere,
In the UK you should be able to get some info for india from the Coeliac Society/ crossed grain mag,

pm me if you need their information

davidp80 · May 18th, 2007, 03:06

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be dealing with the same problem - wheat is just a bit too heavy to sit well in my stomach, so I do my best to avoid it if possible.

Can anyone confirm whether the pakoras and dosas would be wheat-free?

What about the availability of wheat-free flatbreads?

Thank ya!

-Dave

robotvoice · May 18th, 2007, 03:32

yes, dosa is made from a combination of rice and lentil flour.

Lou Wilson · May 18th, 2007, 03:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilly

I am going to Delhi and surrounds soon and want to know how easy it is to eat out and avoid wheat flour? I am a coeliac which means I have to avoid gluten which is present in wheat.

My wife and two children are Gluten intolerant so I am a little familiar with this matter.
If you go to http://www.foodsubs.com/Flournw.html#harinilla it lists all the substitutes for flour that are available in India.
PS I think in the north most samosa's and pakodas are made with wheat but there is always the exception.
GOOD LUCK

machadinha · May 18th, 2007, 04:05

Doesn't address glutens or wheat I think, but may be helpful in a general sense: What we learned about allergies in India. Those in the know are welcome to add to it.

gohome · May 18th, 2007, 06:02

We are looking after our 2 year old grand daughter who is a ceoliac. I cooked her some dhal using a spice mix that I later found out contained a small amount of gluten and she had a reaction from just 1 teaspoon of this stuff in a fairly large pot of dhal. Also sometimes people use 'a little' wheat flour to thicken sauces. So it's not just avoiding the obvious breads, it is also knowing what is in the curries etc.

The Ceoliac Society here in Australia has translations in various languages that explain the situation. If you eat in better quality places you may be able to explain your needs.

Please report back on how you went as your experiences may help other ceoliacs to travel through India.

Good luck and have a great holiday.

ranjan154 · May 18th, 2007, 11:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilly

I am going to Delhi and surrounds soon and want to know how easy it is to eat out and avoid wheat flour? I am a coeliac which means I have to avoid gluten which is present in wheat.

Try only specialty restaurants which serve Continental, Chinese, Italian and other suitable food, but these restaurants are available in big cities only, otherwise salads and fruits are easily available almost everywhere.

lettylou · May 18th, 2007, 12:53

Although it is quite general i have found this website good for finidng out what type of flour is used to make different indian foods eg. potato and rice flour are ok as opposed to wheat flour.
http://www.indax.com/food.html

also I think i read somewhere that you can get a sign/lable made up in any language (for traveling) that says you coeliac. if you 'googleit' maybe you will find something.
hope this helps in some way.

machadinha · May 18th, 2007, 21:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travinfoindia

Try only specialty restaurants which serve Continental, Chinese, Italian and other suitable food

I'm not so sure about e.g. the noodles and pasta though, it would depend, and then again whatever sauce accompanies it. It's just tricky I imagine.

Jan 16th, 2005, 18:05	#1
Gilly Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: York, UK Posts: 1	Gluten free food I am going to Delhi and surrounds soon and want to know how easy it is to eat out and avoid wheat flour? I am a coeliac which means I have to avoid gluten which is present in wheat.

Jan 17th, 2005, 06:38	#3
bijapuri laid traps for troubadours Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Priustan Posts: 2,601	yes, it is. Just order rice instead of wheat. Available everywhere, darn near. should be no prob. Watch out for some specialty dishes which have wheat dumplings, tho. Still, you'll be OK. __________________ Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. Barack Obama lookit me!!!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bijapuri/ Utube fuzzy logic: http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=bijapuri&p =r

May 18th, 2007, 04:05	#11
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 9,369	Doesn't address glutens or wheat I think, but may be helpful in a general sense: What we learned about allergies in India. Those in the know are welcome to add to it. __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

May 18th, 2007, 12:53	#14
lettylou Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 1	gluten intolerant friend Although it is quite general i have found this website good for finidng out what type of flour is used to make different indian foods eg. potato and rice flour are ok as opposed to wheat flour. http://www.indax.com/food.html also I think i read somewhere that you can get a sign/lable made up in any language (for traveling) that says you coeliac. if you 'googleit' maybe you will find something. hope this helps in some way.

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Jan 16th, 2005, 21:08	#2
beach Lost in translation Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: India ! Posts: 2,232	North is by and large a 'wheat country', South is rice....

Jan 17th, 2005, 07:04	#4
Bengal Tiger Posts: n/a	east = ( bengal + orrissa + assam + north east ) is also very much rice country

Jan 17th, 2005, 07:52	#5
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 9,369	Take the others' advice about wheat and rice areas. However unless you know the (number of) languages around you'd be hard pressed to explain to anyone that you can't eat gluten. I suggest you get someone to tell you how to say "no wheat please" in Hindi (for Delhi area) then hope for the best. Be mindful that most things doughy (chapatis etc.) would probably involve wheat.

Jan 17th, 2005, 09:15	#6
Bengal Tiger Posts: n/a	just ask for rice instead of trying to list out the things you dont want (ie. chapati, tandoori naan, other wheat based stuff). explaining a technical term like gluten is near impossible - i dont think a corresponding vernacular word exists. however, you should get a lot of rice based dishes (eg, chicken fried rice, Biryani etc), or at least plain rice (which should be accompanied with one or more, of the 100s of curry based dishes and maybe "daal") in all cities and tourist places in india, whether you are in the "wheat" belt or in the "rice" belt. in case you are in some kind of fix, just ask for (the hindi word for rice =) CHAWAL (pronounced "cha-wul", cha like "bra" and wal like "hull")

Jan 23rd, 2005, 13:01	#7
seventies'hippy Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: UK Posts: 2,126	Your biggest problem will be the temptation for snacks, samosas, Kachoris etc, Pakoras though should be made from gram flour which is GF. I think masala dosas are probably GF too are'nt they rice flour!, Potato crisps are available everywhere, In the UK you should be able to get some info for india from the Coeliac Society/ crossed grain mag, pm me if you need their information

May 18th, 2007, 03:06	#8
davidp80 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pennsylvania, United States Posts: 238	Hi everyone, I'm going to be dealing with the same problem - wheat is just a bit too heavy to sit well in my stomach, so I do my best to avoid it if possible. Can anyone confirm whether the pakoras and dosas would be wheat-free? What about the availability of wheat-free flatbreads? Thank ya! -Dave

May 18th, 2007, 03:32	#9
robotvoice mikeaholic Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: california Posts: 1,094	yes, dosa is made from a combination of rice and lentil flour.

May 18th, 2007, 06:02	#12
gohome Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 71	We are looking after our 2 year old grand daughter who is a ceoliac. I cooked her some dhal using a spice mix that I later found out contained a small amount of gluten and she had a reaction from just 1 teaspoon of this stuff in a fairly large pot of dhal. Also sometimes people use 'a little' wheat flour to thicken sauces. So it's not just avoiding the obvious breads, it is also knowing what is in the curries etc. The Ceoliac Society here in Australia has translations in various languages that explain the situation. If you eat in better quality places you may be able to explain your needs. Please report back on how you went as your experiences may help other ceoliacs to travel through India. Good luck and have a great holiday.

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