National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

Traveling

Questions answered by Chef Edgar

Traveling

6/25/2007
How manageable is following the gluten-free diet when traveling, especially when fast food is part of the day?
Travel

How manageable is following the gluten-free diet when traveling, especially when fast food is part of the day?

If you must do the fast food thing, order a salad. If possible, pack a cooler of delicious gluten-free foods! Try shopping on Foods by George and Bobs Red Mill for some great products to take with you…
That Depends

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In response to the question:

Fast food is a disaster, but I've only had one Celiac nightmare travel story. Celiacchicks have written about gluten-free cereal bars one can bring, and most of the world's cuisines actually don't use wheat flour or its derivatives in sauce thickening. Try looking - very cautiously and inquisitively - into Mediterrean, Latin American and East Asian cuisines.

Pasta, obviously, you'll have to avoid in most locations, but risotto at any decent Italian restaurant is going to be gluten-free because the natural starch in the rice is what gives body to the dish. Polenta is almost always corn based (I seem to recall some mention made of spelt in Alpine Italian cooking, but one doesn't see much of that). Greek food might get a little risky, but Spanish and Southern French offer many possibilities.

Reduction and the use of alternative thickeners such as shredded greens and egg yolks (usually not together) were popular in the Mediterranean long before Celiac was known by name, where the sauces would often tend to be deadened by the use of roux.

A little familiarity with cooking will help, because you'll know what to look for. If you've made a buerre blanc, and you know the difference between that and "butter sauce" and you see the former on a menu in Baton Rouge, you know you're OK and you also know to skip the sauce allemande.

Celiac is like anything else. There's a learning curve.

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