Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Trouble With Lebanese Food?

ekdumas19

By ekdumas19
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

Recommended Posts

ekdumas19 Apprentice
ekdumas19
Posted

Hi everyone

Today is just a miserable day because I think I was glutined yesterday. I haven't been in a long time I think because this is the worst I have felt in months. Brain fog, nauseous, etc. So I am trying to track down the source of this and suspect it may be the bit of Lebanese food I had last night. I had just half of a stuffed grape leaf and some rice with that syrian pepper(which i think is basically just cinnamon and nutmeg and stuff) and some lamb. Does anyone know how gluten friendly Lebanese food is? They use a lot of rice and the only bread things they have are cracked wheat in tabouli and syrian bread which is similar to a pita-and I obviously didn't eat any of those! I just feel so awful! Ick!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


marciab Enthusiast
marciab
Posted

"stuffed grape leaf and some rice with that syrian pepper(which i think is basically just cinnamon and nutmeg and stuff) and some lamb."

My ex is Lebanese and I love the food. The things you listed are gluten free, but "Real" pita bread is a hearty kind of bread that comes in 12" round pieces that is broken up to share with others. You normally see people just breaking off some for themselves and passing it on to the next person.

So getting cross contaminated would be so easy.

I have to add though that I am not familiar with the spice you listed, but I have noticed in the US they added wheat to one of the spices to make it go further. They do not do this in Lebanon. Zartar is the one I am referring to.

Glad you brought this up, but so sorry it happened to you. I will be very careful the next time I visit my ex's family. :o

queenofhearts Explorer
queenofhearts
Posted

One of my favorite restaurants pre-dx was a Lebanese deli... but I'm afraid to eat there now because of the possibility of cross contamination. They bake their own pitas (so there may be flour in the air or on the cooks' hands) & serve most things with them (so their hands or utensils might transfer crumbs). Also the serving containers of baba ganouj (my favorite) are in a refrigerated case right next to tabouli, so I'm afraid bits might migrate. I don't know about the lamb, since I never eat it, but the grape leaves & rice SHOULD be gluten-free-- if not cc.

Made at home these foods could be perfectly safe, but there's always a risk in a restaurant or another home. If you are very sensitive, traces of wheat on cutting boards or wooden spoons could be the culprit.

I do hope you feel better soon!

Leah

hineini Enthusiast
hineini
Posted

For what it's worth, I got really sick after eating some canned stuffed grape leaves last week - Have no idea what the cause was, I don't think I'm sensitive to grain-based vinegar so i doubt it was that. Maybe there's a common ingredient or spice in them that has gluten in it or it could easily have been CC in both our cases.

  • 1 year later...
colleenr Newbie
colleenr
Posted

You have to BE CAREFUL WITH LEBANESE PREPARED RICE. Some regions of Lebanon prepare their rice with flour noodles. You can plainly see the noodles in the rice but you might suspect they are just different grains/shapes of rice mixed in...but they are basically pasta!

And of course no Falafel or Tabouli for us either :(

  • 1 month later...
madbuy Newbie
madbuy
Posted
You have to BE CAREFUL WITH LEBANESE PREPARED RICE. Some regions of Lebanon prepare their rice with flour noodles. You can plainly see the noodles in the rice but you might suspect they are just different grains/shapes of rice mixed in...but they are basically pasta!

And of course no Falafel or Tabouli for us either :(

Hi,

I found this post and just had to prevent the rumor of Falafels not being Gluten-free.

Yo are right with Tabouli but why not Falafel??

Here in Israel (The Mother Nation of Falafels and NOT Lebanon) all Falafels are Gluten-free B)

They are made with pure corn flour and not as many think or even try (which can be very dangerous since they can explode in the oil and burn your hands or worse).

Feel free to check out the world best Falafel Recipe on another Forum I have posted it on:

Open Original Shared Link

and let me know if you have any questions. You can find all contact details in my Profile. ;)

Best Regards!

Ron

hathor Contributor
hathor
Posted

Falafel might not be gluten-free due to cross-contamination of the oil used for frying. Also some recipes call for wheat flour. I know the mixes I've seen at the store contain wheat :angry:

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


hathor Contributor
hathor
Posted

Do you know how the lamb was prepared? Could it have been prepared with flour (used to coat the meat or to thicken a sauce) or a broth that contains gluten?

I've seen stuffed grape leave recipes using bulgur, rather than rice, but I think you would have noticed that.

madbuy Newbie
madbuy
Posted
Falafel might not be gluten-free due to cross-contamination of the oil used for frying. Also some recipes call for wheat flour. I know the mixes I've seen at the store contain wheat :angry:

I just can't understand how a gluten allergic person dares to eat anything he/she didn't prepare themselves.

It's pretty obvious that a Lebanese restaurant will have flour "in the air" as well as Italian, Romanian and even Chinese Restaurants are in such a sensitiv and extreme reaktion to Gluten a BIG risk.

We all work every day and hardly have time to cook, but good Time Management is the basis of a happy and healthy life :D

  • 1 year later...
Lov2BeMe Rookie
Lov2BeMe
Posted

Ok I am very new to all of this , not the gluten part but all of the hidden items in foods and trying to sort out what is poison to my body and what isn't. I read that someone got sick from Grape leaves and I'm not sure what is gluten containing in them. I am part lebanese, and I put cumin, all spice, salt, pepper, melted butter, beef, and uncle bens rice.. What contains gluten in that list?

NJKen Rookie
NJKen
Posted
Ok I am very new to all of this , not the gluten part but all of the hidden items in foods and trying to sort out what is poison to my body and what isn't. I read that someone got sick from Grape leaves and I'm not sure what is gluten containing in them. I am part lebanese, and I put cumin, all spice, salt, pepper, melted butter, beef, and uncle bens rice.. What contains gluten in that list?

All of those ingredients should be gluten-free. Some spices have flour as an ingredient, so you may want to check with your spice producer about that.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted
I just can't understand how a gluten allergic person dares to eat anything he/she didn't prepare themselves.

It's pretty obvious that a Lebanese restaurant will have flour "in the air" as well as Italian, Romanian and even Chinese Restaurants are in such a sensitiv and extreme reaktion to Gluten a BIG risk.

We all work every day and hardly have time to cook, but good Time Management is the basis of a happy and healthy life :D

It all depends on where you live. There are many restaurants around me which have excellent gluten-free menu's and have trained their staff on cross-contamination. I do not eat out often but when I do, I never have been glutened. No symptoms and the results of repeat blood work has always been fantastic. It can be done very successfully but it highly depends on where you live and going to certain, gluten-free friendly restaurants.

As much as I love Middle Eastern and Greek food, which have many gluten-free options, it's the CC that will make most people sick. Many of the places around me that serve these foods also have staff whose English is not that good so that is the second big problem with getting a safe meal. For certain, ethnic foods, I make them at home.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,889
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Kelly Krnwood
    Newest Member
    Kelly Krnwood
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Zuma888
      Struggling to get into a good pattern

      By Zuma888 · Posted

      I really recommend you go on AIP to heal your gut first, and then reintroduce foods one by one...
    • Rogol72
      Purposefully Glutening Myself?

      By Rogol72 · Posted

      Hey @annamarie6655, I think we've all glutened ourselves during the learning process of what it takes to be truly gluten free. Don't be hard on yourself. You're not glutening yourself purposefully ... it takes time to figure it all out. You should stand up for yourself and advocate for yourself at all times. The family dynamic can be very difficult for us Coeliacs. It may be worth mentioning that Coeliac Disease is genetic and runs in families. And any of them could develop Coeliac Disease in the future ... though that may be a difficult conversation to have. It was for me, but at least my conscience is clear! It's ok to be grateful but not overly so. I would tell them that it's a steep learning curve and I'm trying to figure out a major lifestyle adjustment to preserve my health now and into the future. If it makes you feel any better, I have a sibling who thinks the dinner table is their own personal buffet and dips into the food of whoever is sitting opposite or adjacent without asking for permission ... which is extremely rude. No regard for cross contamination or poisoning my food with gluten. Despite my diplomatic efforts in asking that sibling stop it and explaining the consequences of a crumb of gluten getting into my body, it keeps happening. At family dinners and at restaurants, I now sit at the opposite end of the table well out of arms reach of that sibling. At another siblings 60th BBQ birthday recently, I was trying to assess a safe place to cook my homemade burger having brought my own food .... I was attacked by an in-law who said "there's no place safe to cook just use the BBQ". I stood my ground and asked for a clean frying pan to cook my burger on the cooker. If you live in a city, you might be able to find a support group or make a new Coeliac buddy in a gluten-free Cafe of Breakfast Bar. There's lots of people on Instagram and Tiktok who are Coeliacs that arrange meet-ups. And there's several Coeliacs running podcasts on Spotify.
    • captaincrab55
      Diagnosed w Celiacs, but reacting to gluten-free Digiorno Pizza AND Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

      By captaincrab55 · Posted

      I can't eat DeGiorno's "gluten-free" pizza, because of being dairy intolerant, but I can have cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  I did the EVERLYWELL test to help eliminate foods that I can and can't have.  I but the CAULIPOWER crust at and use plain tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Quite often I top it with shrimp.  Good Luck                    i 
    • trents
      Diagnosed w Celiacs, but reacting to gluten-free Digiorno Pizza AND Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

      By trents · Posted

      It can be almost anything for the individual but I would suggest getting in the habit of reading labels to see if there are patterns. The form of magnesium is very important. Go for magnesium glycinate. A lot of over the counter stuff puts the emphasis on shelf-life as opposed to bio-availability. Magnesium glycinate is very bioavailable, very absorbable and isn't likely to have a laxative effect like some of the high shelf-life stuff which isn't absorbed well and draws water into the colon. Oats and dairy also cause effects a lot like being glutened for many celiacs. 
    • annamarie6655
      Purposefully Glutening Myself?

      By annamarie6655 · Posted

      Hi everyone,  I don’t mean to use you all as my personal dumping ground, but the support I’ve seen on this forum is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.    So, my mother and I have always had a rocky relationship, but when I got diagnosed w celiacs, I thought we were now on the same team together. She started off saying things like “ We’re gonna figure this out together” or “I will always make sure you never have to worry about food with me” to telling my siblings that I’m not grateful enough and I don’t have a right to be upset when I get glutened bc I do so “purposefully”…   .. so I’m brand new to celiac and just learned I can’t just trust gluten-free labels unless it’s certified. I’ve been trying my best, and thanking everyone for being accommodating and trying to make things as painless as possible, so I just don’t understand. Should I be bending over backwards for people who accommodate me? Or just general gratefulness?    This whole diagnosis has further ostracized me from my family and friends, and it’s really hard not to feel completely alone. I seriously appreciate any advice you have to share!
×
×
  • Create New...