Beat the Wheat
August, 2012
Recepies: *Borscht with pampushky *Marble cake *Buckwheat pancakes
Eating out Andalucia
Gluten free festival in Perugia
*Ham croquettes *Ovocné tvarohové knedlíky
Travel tale: Benidorm
EditoriaL This is the last Beat the Wheat, at least in its current form. As a CYE project we have made the three bulletins we set out to do. The CYE Youth Committee and the Editorial Team would love to see the bulletin continue, in any kind of way or shape. This will be decided in the CYE Conference held in Helsinki in September. Just before the conference there will be a Youth Work Training which will help people start up youth groups in their own countries. This is the first time a Youth Work Training is going to be been held in the CYE regime. We hope the participants can get the information they need to inspire others in their countries and start and expand their own youth groups.
The second issue of Beat the Wheat reached over 500 readers. This made it possible for us to sell advertisements to producers of gluten-free goods. We in the CYE Youth Committee and the Editorial Team would like to thank you, dear reader, for it is you who made it possible to have this successful project.
Alexander Schmidt & Jonas Rengman
News pills Wheat is murder
During a recent spring meeting, members of the Coeliac Youth Organisation of Finland dis-
cussed the idea of saying aloud and proudly ‘we’re gluten free’ and it was suggested that the creation of a ‘coeliac badge’ would provide a great means to do this. One of our members had recently received as a gift a t-shirt with the slogan “Wheat is Murder”; we all agreed that this phrase was terrific and that it would form the basis of our new badge. I accepted the task myself and set about creating a nice design
Finnish Coeliacs design their own badge
that would combine this motto with a ‘familiar’ international logo commonly found on gluten-free foods.
It is a tradition in many Finn-
ish Universities for students to wear a set of ‘overalls’ to parties and other functions coloured to symbolise their field of study. These overalls are typically decorated with badges associated with the wearer’s interests or affiliations. Now, as a result of our efforts, Finnish Coeliacs will be able to fasten a badge to their overalls – or anything else! – which symbolises their ‘gluten-free’ status. In fact, even non-Coeliacs can use the badge to express solidarity or say merely that ‘wheat is bad’.
Elina Rouru, Finland
Gluten-free festival in Perugia The Gluten-Free Fest (GFF) was held between the seventh and tenth of June this year in Perugia, Italy. The GFF consisted of four full days of dialogue on coeliac disease, including meetings and seminars, laboratories and tastings, and games and information. It represented a milestone event for gluten-free eating in Italy – one that will hopefully be repeated in 2013 and beyond! For more information (in Italian) see: www.glutenfreefest.it
The time we spent was free and peaceful, and we shared many emo-
tions and strong feelings; it’s unbelievable how something as simple as ‘food’ can so influence the human condition – particularly for us coeliacs and our like. I’ll never forget the crêpes, the fluffy and enormously tasty sandwiches, the gluey (just a bit!), starchy gluten-free pasta, the steady flow of beer that coursed through my throat – and those of others! I remember with great affection the close conversations, meaningful handshakes, and sincere embraces we shared while sipping aperitifs on the terrace with its panoramic vista. Neither will I forget that which I have already forgotten: the gap between what I experienced and what results when I try put my feelings down in words”.
Below the author (left) is pictured together with two
volun-
teers from the AIC (Associazione Italiana Celiachia) who attended the festival. The green t-shirt translates as “I’m not a Jinx” and is a pun on the words ‘sfiga’ meaning ‘bad luck’ and ‘spiga’ meaning an ‘ear’ of wheat. On the white t-shirt, ‘I ‘heart’ Senza Glutine’ is Gluten-Free’!
Italian for ‘I love
Mirco’s Impressions: “I waited a couple of days before expressing
my feelings about the CFF here on these pages, my biggest fear being that by the time I had committed them to writing they would have lost something of their weight and even vanished. Now that it is done however I find that these feelings are alive in me still and have lost none of their effect. The days were wonderful and I have met people with whom I hope I can stay in touch for a very long time, people who I will carry with me in my heart.
Mirko Babini, Italy
Travel tale
Benidorm
holiday
I will always remember my first with friends following my diagnosis with coeliac disease. It happened five years ago – when I was eighteen – and we had decided to spend a summer in Benidorm,
Spain. At that time I remember not being sure what a gluten-free diet entailed; a food list provided by FACE ( Federación de Asocia-
ciones de Celíacos de España, Spanish Coeliac Association) being my only guide. The day before departure I packed my suitcase as one does. However, fearing that I would not be able to find gluten-free food in Be-
food
nidorm, I decided to take a second suitcase, just for ! (Gluten-free breads, cookies, muffins, pasta…) The trip was really good, and I had little to complain about where food was concerned. However, in the first two weeks it was difficult to find anything to eat apart from salads and grilled steaks. On one
bakery if they had any gluten-free products, and I was surprised to learn that they sold rice Muffins that
particular day I decided to ask a
were popular among coeliacs. The experience was not all good, however, as it turned out that they contained a lot more gluten than suggested and I was left
feeling very sick.
Since that day I have learned not to take anybody’s word where gluten-free food is concerned, now I only buy products approved by FACE. It was a hard-learned lesson.
Juan Carlos Garcia, Spain
Eating GF in Andalucia
For my Erasmus I spent a semester living in Huelva, a city in the south west of Spain. Before arriving I gath-
ered a lot of information on the gluten-free diet in Spain. I also brought some of my own food with me so that I would have one less thing to worry about in my first few days. After finding a room and getting settled in I visited a Carrefour supermarket where I was able to find a gluten-free foods section. It wasn’t particularly big but it had some of the more important food items such as bread and pasta. One could also find the logo ‘sin gluten’ (‘without gluten’) on items outside of the gluten-free section at Carrefour, which was helpful. I had read online that the largest range of gluten-free products could be found at Mercadona supermarkets, which proved to be true. It was quite a selection! However rather than being located in one dedicated place, these products were scattered throughout the store. I also found a ‘natural’ (health food) store with five enormous shelves of gluten-free food. So, eating at home in Spain was not a problem! Eating out proved to be more difficult, however, although there are some restaurants in Huelva where you can be sure of finding gluten-free food. Examples I had heard about included Telepizza, where gluten-free pizza is available, and McDonald’s, where gluten-free hamburgers are on sale. While I didn’t make it to McDonald’s I did try a ham and bacon pizza from Telepizza and it was great! It was often very hard to tell if a restaurant was familiar with the gluten-free diet, and after sitting down and asking what food was available for coeliacs I would often be told that ‘everything contained gluten’. Because my Spanish was not that good I often had to rely on friends to explain the coeliac diet to waiters. Despite all this, one restaurant – Cordoba – completely changed my view on eating out in Spain. The waiter at Cordoba was able to tell me exactly what dishes were coeliac-friendly and I was even given gluten-free bread with my meal! It was definitely my best experience of eating out in Spain, and the food was just amazing! After a while I began to realise that many waiters simply did not know what the term ‘glutenfree’ meant. Perhaps I had assumed that they did because of the availability of gluten-free foods in supermarkets and (some) fast-food restaurants. After a couple of weeks I got hold of a small card with a good explanation – in Spanish – of what coeliac disease is (available in the travel net section on CYE web site); it also contained a list of food products which do or do not contain gluten. Thanks to this card, waiters better understood my requirements and were able to explain which ingredients and which dishes were suitable. Thanks to this, and the help of my Spanish-speaking friends, I didn’t wind up choosing a salad every time! After a few more weeks, and with my Spanish greatly improved, I was able to talk more freely with waiters and had much more confidence eating out.
Laura Schrijver, Netherlands
I tell my story
Face it : gluten-free life can be great! “What are you having for breakfast – we don’t have any rolls or bread from the bakery?”, I asked my boyfriend. “I thought it would be easiest to have only gluten-free food for both of us”, he answered. Mind, he is not celiac, I am. Recently we moved to Bonn for an internship and decided that, living together, cooking, baking and eating allgluten-free is the best option.
Why should I be celiac? I was diagnosed diabetic aged five and since then undergo regular blood checks and visits to the doctor. When I was 17, he told me that my antigliadines had been sky rocking for a while and that I might be celiac. He advised a biopsy – which turned out positive. I was quite surprised, as I had never remarked any of the typical symptoms like stomach ache or diarrhea, but I decided to go for it.
Blissful oblivion As a high-school student I was still living at home and was incredibly glad my mother was taking care of everything from shopping to cooking and baking. Of course it was frustrating to see people going out to a pizza place for their lunch break at school, but my (voluntary and involuntary) exposure to food I wasn’t allowed to eat any more was rather small. My friends and grandparents were very understanding, they made gluten-free pasta salad for parties or checked the ingredients when they cooked a meal I would be eating too.
Indian food during city weekend, Bremen
Face it Not that I was particularly happy with the state of affairs, I had simply decided to follow the diet, but not actually accepted the “disease”. March 2009. I am on my way to France to work in a kindergarten in Burgundy for about three weeks and live with a host family. They are already well informed, I have my own gluten-free space in their cupboard and they know local biostores. “On va visiter des amis” – “We’ll go visit friends”. Private dinner parties, formal dinners, weekend get-togethers. Always a ton of good food, baguettes, croissants, brioches. Me, eating potatoes and salad or some of the gluten-free bread I had taken with me. I was terribly frustrated. “When I get back to Germany, I want to do something about this. I can’t get rid of my celiac disease, but I can make life easier. For myself and for others.”
Meeting other celiacs So when I got back I sent an email to the German Youth Board, asking them whether I could help or even join. The reply was very positive and as there were elections for a new Youth Board in fall that year, I decided to go for it. This decision changed my celiac life. During an information weekend for potential candidates I got to know other celiac. We had the same food. We had the same concerns when going out. We talked a lot, we went out, we had fun.
From Germany to Europe During my three years in the German Youth Board I have organized and volunteered at summer camps and a city weekend in Bremen. Working in the Youth Board mainly in the communications area, I have had contact to youngsters and their parents, to students who want to go abroad, to other people who want to get involved. Especially in the past year working as an editor for Beat the Wheat I have gathered experience and got to know many motivated young Europeans I am happy to call my friends now. When I stay in a foreign country these days, I know whom to write to and ask for the right place to get something to eat – gluten-free of course. And we’ll enjoy the food together.
Cye Conference, Malta 2011.
Mirjam Eiswirth, Germany
Bits’n’bites For 1 portion: *60g of meat *50g of cabbage *30g of beet *50g of carrot *20g of potato *10g of onion *5g of parsley (root) *10g of tomato puree *3g of vinegar *Some garlic *5g of lard, *A whole black pepper *Laurel leaves *Parsley and dill greenery *Salt
Beet and cabbage soup BORSCHT
Boil the meat. Chop the potato and cabbage, and then put them into the boiling broth. Cut or rub the beet on a grater and then stew it with the tomato pure, tomato and vinegar (I usually use vine vinegar 6%, 1 spoon on a saucepan) for 2-3 min. Shred the carrot, onion and parsley (root) and fry them in fat or vegetable oil. Add the stewed and fried vegetables and roots to the broth, and then add spices according to taste.
Five minutes before eating, add garlic with the greenery and lard to the borsch.
Put fresh greenery and sour cream, or mayonnaise into a plate and serve.
With Ukrainian borsch add green asparagus (haricot) beans. You can use kidneybeans as a substitute if you don’t like haricot beans. Also with Ukrainian borsch, serve small round rolls –“pampushky”.
Elena Grigorieva Russia
For the rolls (1 portion): *80g of Gluten-free bread mix *30g of water (milk) *5g of sugar *5g of vegetable oil (butter) *2-3g of yeast
Pampushky
Dilute the yeast in warm water (milk). Add bread mix, sugar, vegetable oil (butter). Knead the dough and put it in a warm place for 30 min. Shape small balls and place them on a baking tray, let rise for 10-15 minutes. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. For the sauce: garlic 5g, vegetable oil 5g, water 2g, salt. 10-15 minutes before serving, soak rolls in a sauce prepared from garlic, powdered with salt, vegetable oil and cold boiled water.
Elena Grigorieva Russia
Marmorkuchen - Marble cake
Ingredients: *250 g butter *200 g sugar *6 eggs *300 g gluten free flour *1 sachet of baking powder *2 tablespoons of milk *2 tablespoons of cocoa
Put the butter in a mixing bowl and mix it until it is soft. If the butter is too cold, you can heat it in a pot. Add the sugar and mix it for at least five minutes until it becomes creamy. Add six eggs – one by one – and mix with some breaks. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix for five minutes, then divide the dough in two parts. Put the first part in the baking form. Mix the second part with cocoa and milk. Put it onto the first part. Now take a fork and carefully mix the light and the dark dough.
Bake it in the oven for 45 minutes at 180°C.
Then wait a bit that it cools down, and cover the cake with chocolate.
Kristina Perl, Germany
For 10 portions: 400g Buckwheat flour 300ml milk, 25g yeast 30g sugar 3 eggs 30g butter cream 30% -100ml 30g sugar 10g salt
Buckwheat pancakes
Warmed milk and in put sugar, salt, dissolved yeast, raw egg yolks, and buckwheat flour. Add the melted butter and mix to make dough. Put the dough in a warm place to ferment for 2-3 hours (sometime recommended 6-8 hours). One hour before frying put in whipped egg whites and cream. Fry in a hot frying pan on both sides. jam.
Eat with fish, sour cream,
Buckwheat pancakes can be fragile. To get a good result from the first time it is recommended to add gluten-free bread mix in the ratio 1:1.
Elena Grigorieva Russia
Ingredients:
*150gr ham *2 tablespoons of White flour Fine dried bread crumbs *50gr butter *750ml milk *Egg
Ham croquettes 1) In a saucepan melt the 50 grams of butter. Once the butter starts to get hot, add the flour and mix using a wooden spoon. 2) Add the milk and stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir constantly and decrease the heat to medium to prevent lumps forming. 3) Add the ham, previously cut in small pieces (about 1 cm squared), and keep on stirring while the mixture thickens. 4) When the mixture stops sticking to the bottom of the saucepan, it is ready to remove from the heat. Once this happens, remove from heat and cool on a plate for 2 hours. 5) Break the egg into a bowl and beat until blended. In another bowl add the dried bread crumbs. 6) Form walnut-sized croquettes and dip in the beaten egg. After this, roll in the bread crumbs. 7) When all of the croquettes are shaped, heat some oil in a saucepan (about 2 cm deep). Add the croquettes and fry in hot oil. Let it cool on a platter lined with paper towels in order to drain excess oil. The croquettes can be eaten immediately. If you want to be original, you can use this recipe with any ingredients! Bon appetite!
Angela Gallastegui, Catalonia
Ovocné tvarohové knedlíky Sweet Cottage Cheese Dumplings with Fruit Recipe for about 25 dumplings
INGREDIENTS: *250g curd cottage cheese (quark in creamy form) *4 tablespoons of corn breadcrumbs *3 tablespoons of rice semolina *2 tablespoons of fine corn flour *1 egg *P inch of salt *Strawberries
Tip: It is easier to work with the fruit if it is slightly frozen. You can also add sugar to the fruit before freezing, if you like.
TOPPING: Icing sugar Curd cottage cheese (Quark in solid form for grinding) Melted butter
PREPARATION: STEP 1: Combine the
curd cottage cheese, corn breadcrumbs, rice semolina, fine corn flour, egg and salt. Mix well and make a soft dough.
STEP 2: Pinch pieces of the dough to about the size of a table tennis ball.
STEP 3: Place some of the slightly frozen fruit into the
center of a dough ball. Push it into the dough and wrap the dough evenly around the fruit. Seal the edges tightly.
STEP 4: Drop the dumplings into boiling water.
STEP 5: Boil them for 6-8 minutes. When they float on the water, the dumplings are done. STEP 6: Sprinkle the dumplings with icing sugar and ground cottage
cheese, or alternatively with fried bread crumbs. Pour on melted butter and sprinkle them with more sugar.
Tip: No oil is needed when frying the bread crumbs - just put it on a pan
and fry.
Bon appetite!
Tereza Laskova Czech Republic
MedicaL Curiosity
Lactose intolerance and coeliac disease
Milk is a very important food at all ages because it is a source of
noble proteins, calcium and vitamin D. Did you know, though, that human beings are the only animals who drink milk after infancy? Cells of the small intestine are equipped with lactase, an enzyme that metabolizes lactose into glucose and galactose. About 75% of adults show a decrease in lactase activity during adulthood, with this phenomenon occuring mainly in the African and Asian races.
While many people across the world have lactose intolerance there is still widespread uncertainty, about the meaning of this disease. Many people think it is an allergy, while others believe it is a transient problem. What, then, is lactose intolerance? In short, it is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and in other milk-derived dairy
products. The principal symptoms of this intolerance are abdominal bloating, cramps, diahorrea and nausea after the consumption of products containing lactose.
Stefania Leoni, 26, Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Sapienza University of Rome
What about coeliacs? Can they be affected by lactose intolerance as well? Yes, of course they can! The immune response triggered by gluten before the diagnosis of coeliac disease (CD) destroys the small intestinal mucosa (‘lining’), and may therefore cause a reduction of lactase concentration. So, CD patients, before their diagnoses, may experience lactose intolerance more often than the general population. After the beginning of the gluten-free diet, however, the small intestinal mucosa revert to normal and these symptoms usually disappear.
Photo Section
3
from 4I tsa Bagel Store, Arnotts department store in Dublin city center. http://itsa.ie/ restaurants-cafes/cafes/ itsa-bagel/our-locations/arnotts,-abbey-street
120717_fria_Coeliac Youth of Europe
12-07-07
08.41
Sida 1
Fria is in the freezer section!
Try the Scandinavian market leader in gluten-free bread
Beschoffs restaurant in Dublin, Ireland, gluten-free menu served daily, traditional Irish: fish and chips! www.beshoffrestaurant.com
Check our webpage www.fria.se for availability in your country
Find us on
www.fria.se
Hanna Koponen, Finland Photo Section
Board Box
Editors Box
Hanna Koponen, Finland General Coodinator
Mirjam Eiswirth, Germany Editor in Chief
Alexander Schmidt, Sweeden Financial Manager
Jonas Rengman, Sweeden Co-editor
Francesco Valitutti, Italy Project Manager
Lana Pavkov, Serbia Layout
Special thanks to: Anna Godfrey and Derek Dodd for proofreading; Želmira Mikljan, Serbia, cover page; Travel Sketches by Miki de Goodaboom, www.mikidegoodaboom.com
Doctor drawing by Flavio Remontti: http://byflavioremontti.blogspot.com/ Pancake drawing by Katie Rodgers: http://paperfashion. net