I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while, but having not left South America it felt premature. Having spent the best part of today feeling truly pants due to a very stealthy glutening (and without Internet- the horror) I realise that that was flawed logic. I should share my disasters as I go, maybe I can help someone else avoid the same fate!
So far these have been my big fat gluten mistakes:
Breakfast
I’m not completely daft; I’m aware that a bread heavy traditional South american feaUst won’t do me any favours. I come armed with rice crackers. It took me longer to start scrutinising the condiments as well. I thought that an untouched looking communal pot of jam was safe. It wasn’t until I worked in a hostel and saw the mother pot, in all its crumb filled glory that the penny dropped. No sharing with the gluten people! Unless you know that jam is from a fresh pot, steer clear.
Chocolate and sweets
I have a sweet tooth. I’m not ashamed of it. You’re probably already aware of it as, reading this, you are statistically my boyfriend or my mum. I am a bit ashamed that the last products I started examining the labels of closely were these delicious junk foods. Something in my subconscious couldn’t see a risk until it was explicitly pointed out. And, especially in South America I think, there are very few uncontaminated brands. I’d been digesting (or not) sneaky gluten in this manner for about two months of my travels, and gluten free life.
Local foods that you KNOW are safe
I didn’t actually make this mistake (yay) but it’s well worth mentioning. There is so much joy when you discover a naturally gluten free food. You see it, ask what it is and what’s in it, Google it to be sure, and then gobble it down whenever possible. This at least is my path, and there is no better example than the delicious milcaos from the island of Chiloe (you can see how much I loved them in a great blog post by my boyfriend here: http://www.englishmuffinandegg.wordpress.com). Milcaos are gluten free. Everyone knows this. Every recipe I’ve seen knows this. They’re just potato. Except when they’re not. Before I had a chance to find a recipe, but had already tried one trustingly at a friend’s, we found some on a stall. Not having verified by collective Internet wisdom their safety I quizzed the seller and found they did contain flour! This nearly put me off altogether but I persisted and that is the only flour containing milcao I’ve ever heard of. The lesson however is to always ask. Because if she had been the second, or fifth, or hundredth seller, I wouldn’t have asked and would have had a nasty shock. Now I ask each new stall, restaurant and cafe, because people do like to experiment and I want no surprises. At least not of that kind.
Thinking ‘just chicken’, means just chicken
It never does. Unless you specify, and then deal with the incredulous looks, the chicken will either come breaded or battered. The same is true of fried fish (always in batter ). Al horno is roasted, which is fine and obvious rotisserie place will also be ok.
Assuming a product will stay gf across borders
I didn’t even look at the wrappers of products I knew to be safe when I travelled on to new countries. It was only when bored on a bus and playing with a packet that I saw it had gluten in! Completely safe in ones country, poison in the next. Different factories I assume. Same rule as always, check first and e at later.
Gluten free backpacker 