Celiac disease, food intolerances and food allergies make travel, especially international travel, a daunting prospect. The key to successful gluten-free travel is to know in advance what foods are safe and to be able to identify the most likely sources of hidden gluten.
Avoid Soy Sauce, the Most Common Source of Gluten in Japanese Food
By far, the most common source of gluten and wheat in Japanese food is soy sauce. In addition to being served as a condiment and dipping sauce, it is used to flavor cooking sauces, glazes, stir-fries, simmered dishes, salad dressings, savory crackers and more. What is more, few people realize that soy sauce contains wheat, and those that do may dismiss the idea of it being harmful because of both the extensive fermentation undergone by soy sauce and the small quantity used.
Be aware that although most tamari sauce sold in the US is wheat-free, that is not the case in Japan. Look for natural food stores and health food stores to find wheat-free soy sauce made from a variety of grains and beans.
Watch Out for Hidden Gluten in Japanese Snack Foods and Drinks
In addition to soy sauce, gluten can be hidden in the form of thickeners and sweeteners. As a thickener, wheat flour can be found in Japanese curry roux and in instant soup mixes. In both of these cases, the presence of wheat will be noted on the packaging, so the gluten free visitor need only ask about wheat or show the Japanese version of the celiac travel card.
Gluten is found in many snack foods and breakfast foods in the form of barley malt. The presence of barley is not noted in the allergen section of food labels, and as a result the gluten-free traveler needs to inquire about an ingredient called “mizu ame.” Mizu ame is a general term for malt syrup and may be made from rice or barley, but as the source is not usually stated, the safest course is to avoid it.
A third common source of gluten in Japanese food is roasted barley tea, or mugi cha. Barley tea is a very common drink in the summer, and may be served in restaurants or homes. It is also an ingredient in many bottled mixed teas.
How to Ask if Food is Gluten-free in Japanese
To avoid accidentally ingesting gluten, the traveler would be well-advised to ask not only about the presence of gluten or wheat in general, but also to inquire whether a dish contains any of the above ingredients. To do this, use the phrase “kore wa (ingredient name) ga haitemasuka?” An answer of “haitemasen” is a no, while “haitemasu” indicates that a dish contains the ingredient.
- To ask about soy sauce, say “kore wa shouyu ga haitemasuka?”
- To ask about wheat flour in curry or soup, say “kore wa komugiko ga haitemasuka?”
- To ask about malt syrup, say “kore wa mizu ame ga haitemasuka?”
- To ask about barley in tea, say “kore wa mugi ga haitemasuka?”
With the above guidelines and phrases, plus a few celiac travel cards, even those on a gluten-free diet can enjoy a safe and relaxing trip to Japan.
Sara Yoshihara - Sara Yoshihara lives and works in rural Japan where she and her family have a small no-spray rice and vegetable farm and an artisan ...
