The language involved with a gluten-free diet in Japan

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The language involved with a gluten-free diet in Japan

Keeping it pure: Look for 十割そば (jūwari soba, 100 percent or pure soba) at the supermarket if you're searching for gluten-free options. | SAMANTHA SEGHERS

By Samantha Seghers
Contributing Writer

Dec 10, 2019

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – I love 和食 (washoku, Japanese food). I love the tastes, textures and the sheer number of fresh ingredients I don’t get at home, the mindfulness in food production and preparation, and the nose-to-tail eating style that saves on food waste.

Needless to say, I was devastated to find that I feel and function so much better when eating gluten-free: グルテンが入っているものは食べられません。 (Guruten ga haitte-iru mono wa taberaremasen, I can’t eat things that contain gluten.) However, it’s even harder to enjoy 和食 if you’re セリアック病 (蝉别谤颈补办办耻-产测ō, celiac) and therefore may end up incredibly sick by unwittingly eating some hidden gluten.

It’s not impossible to enjoy Japanese food on a gluten-free diet, you just need to avoid foods that contain ingredients such as 小麦 (komugi, wheat), 大麦 (ō尘耻驳颈, barley). ライ麦 (raimugi, rye) or 麩 (fu, wheat gluten/bran). In short, watch out for the kanji 麦.or 麩.