Gluten-free Down Under

It was surprising to us how much more sophisticated than the United States that Australia and New Zealand were about gluten-free eating. When I say gluten-free in America in any place other than Whole Foods Market, I get puzzled looks as if were speaking in tongues. The most irritating response is the person who almost knows what I’m talking about, “No, there is no gluten in that dish. Only some flour.”

Flour, for all intents and purposes to me, means GLUTEN.

Things were quite different on our trip Down Under–especially in Australia. Specifically, Adelaide and Melbourne are outstanding for gluten-free eating. Aside from both cities having a reputation for great food, every coffeehouse or dessert shop we walked by had “gluten-free” desserts called out. Many were desserts that substituted some kind of rice flour or other gluten-free ingredient to make the dish gluten-free. In other words, they put in effort to be gluten-free.

Here’s an example from the Adelaide Central Market that I posted earlier. Notice in the photo below (if you can read it) that many of the dessert selections are gluten-free…

Another example I posted about earlier was our experience in Melbourne in the Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder. When we ordered a cheese plate, I asked if they could provide a gluten-free alternative to the bread. I was definitely expecting the usual offer of sliced apples or pears. Instead, they offered a gluten-free bread!

Every wait-person we asked knew what gluten-free was. If they were unsure if a dish was gluten-free, they asked the kitchen. Most importantly, they knew what to ask about. No response like we get in the United States.

Sydney we found to be less saavy about gluten-free eating.  There was certainly no prolific availability of gluten-free baked goods as we found in Adelaide and Melbourne. However, wait-staff did know what gluten-free was and could advise on the menu accordingly.

New Zealand, though more aware than the United States, appears to be no better than the United States in the general availability of gluten-free products. It is notable that at least they knew what it was (probably because of the Aussies requesting it), even if they didn’t offer the products. Of course, the awful state of eating out in New Zealand is a subject of another upcoming post.