Cous Cous Gluten Free On Menu

[kellynolan82]

A friend of mine has made this statement:

Is there such a thing as gluten-free cous cous? I went to a restaurant earlier this evening and the cous cous on the menu was labelled as a 'gluten free' option. I got some on the side but now I am feeling some odd sensation in my lower-back...

I thought cous cous contained semolina (which comes from durham wheat). Did they not read the packaging correctly or something? Let me know what the story with this might be.

[GlutenFreeManna]

No Cous cous is NOT gluten free. You are correct. It's possible to make a "mock" cous cous out of other thigns such as brown rice or quinoa but the restaurant probably would have disclosed that if it was not real cous cous. Perhaps this was just an oversight on the restaurant's part not realizing that semolina flour is made from wheat? Your friends should write to them or call so they know that cous cous is not gluten free. I have seen some instances of restaurants calling barley soup gluten-free as well because they get so caught up looking for "wheat" in the ingredients.

[come dance with me]

No it can't ever be.

[Reba32]

Just another example of uneducated restaurant owners/chefs thinking that gluten is only a problem with wheat.

A friend of mine even went to a holistic practitioner who claims to specialise in food intolerances/allergies and told her she has a gluten sensitivity, but barley and rye were ok, just to stay away from wheat!

[kellynolan82]

Just another example of uneducated restaurant owners/chefs thinking that gluten is only a problem with wheat.

A friend of mine even went to a holistic practitioner who claims to specialise in food intolerances/allergies and told her she has a gluten sensitivity, but barley and rye were ok, just to stay away from wheat!

But cous cous IS wheat!!! So why would they think it doesn't cause problems for people who have problems with wheat???

I'm sorry for the person who received false information. I'd be promptly trying to correct that person and possibly requesting a refund from the practitioner.

[Skylark]

No it can't ever be.

Did you even take the time to look?

There is gluten-free couscous.

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There is also a millet version that has been eaten in the Middle East for as long as wheat couscous.

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I would have asked what the couscous was made of before I ordered it, though.

[Gemini]

Did you even take the time to look?

There is gluten-free couscous.

Open Original Shared Link

There is also a millet version that has been eaten in the Middle East for as long as wheat couscous.

Open Original Shared Link

I would have asked what the couscous was made of before I ordered it, though.

Skylark,the voice of reason.....

I have tried the Lundberg gluten-free cous cous and it's horrible. The brown rice versions stick together like glue and no matter what

you do, it just isn't the same texture as the wheat version. I haven't tried the millet version but that's an interesting substitute.

[Skylark]

Skylark,the voice of reason.....

I'm not in hypothyroid ornery mode today.

I do have to see if I can track down millet couscous in the US. Thanks for comments on the Lundberg stuff. I'll save my $$.

[Gemini]

I'm not in hypothyroid ornery mode today.

I do have to see if I can track down millet couscous in the US. Thanks for comments on the Lundberg stuff. I'll save my $$.

You too? I can always tell when my thyroid isn't happy...at least the symptoms make it obvious.

I really like Lundberg products, in general, and have never had any type of reaction from them so know they are safe for Celiacs.

I was surprised when the cous cous didn't turn out so well. I ate a lot of cous cous pre-diagnosis so am familiar with making really good cous cous. This stuff was far from light and fluffy. Rice isn't always good for everything....

[kellynolan82]

Quinoa was something Anthony Demetre (a coeliac who goes gluten free for 3 months at a time but gorges on "as much pasta and pizza as I (i.e. he) can get a hold of" for 2 weeks following this period of so-called 'gluten-free-ness') had a passion for working with. Perhaps some of his suggestions would be helpful.

[Reba32]

problem is, most people don't even know that "enriched flour" or "all purpose flour" found on most ingredients lists is made from wheat, so how would they know that genrally speaking, cous cous is wheat? A woman I used to work with said her mother has Celiac but her doctor told her it's ok to eat spelt. Which is also a wheat. If the "specialists" don't know what to stay away from, how is a restaurant chef supposed to keep up?