by Hiba Giacoletto, Healthwise
If you have tried going gluten-free in Geneva, you might have quickly stumbled upon some difficulties. Difficulties like: Where to eat a decent meal? Where to get bread when you really, really need your fix? And what about dessert?
As a Food Coach who has been gluten-free for the past year, here are seven considerations that will come up - guaranteed - for anyone living gluten-free in Geneva!
1. If only I could enjoy eating out again
You can! In addition to the 7 healthy places I listed in an earlier article that all have gluten-free options, the most important thing is to be clear with your waiter about the ingredients you need to avoid. You might need to ask specific questions about dishes and clearly state what you can and cannot eat as not all waiters know where gluten is found.
You might also need to construct a custom meal. Most restaurants are more flexible than we expect. Pick a few ingredients from the menu and construct your own dish or order two starters instead of a main. Don’t be afraid to ask for changes to an order.
If you want a more gourmet meal, these restaurants cater to food sensitivities and vegetarians / vegans:
Le Floris
http://www.lefloris.com/en/la-carte-du-floris/
Rasoi by Vineet at the Mandarin Oriental
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/geneva/fine-dining/rasoi-by-vineet
2. I need my bread fix!
OK, so gluten-free bread never really tastes as good as normal bread. It can also contain some dodgy ingredients and is relatively expensive. However, there are times when you really need your bread fix and in this case, you can either order gluten-free bread or make your own.
If you want fresh gluten-free bread, you can order it from Wolfisberg the day before:
http://www.wolfisberg.org/en/practical-information
or you can buy it from here:
Miam in Eaux-Vives
http://www.epicerie-miam.ch
Patisserie Mage in Champel
http://www.patisseriemage.ch/html/index.html
Boulangerie Gloria in Pâquis
Bakery offering gluten-free bread as well as dairy-free desserts.
Baker: VeroniKa
076 455 33 78
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Daily deliveries of fresh gluten-free breads. Larger quantities may be ordered in 24 hours in advance for cakes, breads, and desserts. Type of breads include: plain, sunflower and linseeds, walnut, chestnut, and sesame.
Bakery address: Rue de Berne 56
1201 Genève
022 732 16 10
You can also buy gluten-free bread and dough from this website - Glutabye has some great options:
http://www.i-can-eat.ch/recherche-resultats.php?search_in_description=1&ac_keywords=glutabye&x=0&y=0
This is my favorite recipe for making your own gluten-free bread. You can replace the oats with quinoa or buckwheat or millet flakes if you are sensitive to oats or can't find gluten-free oats:
http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2013/02/the-life-changing-loaf-of-bread/
3. Must. Have. Pizza.
Good news! There are now at least two pizzerias in Geneva that have gluten-free pizza!
Giardino Romano
http://www.giardino-romano.ch
Pizza Leggera
https://www.facebook.com/pizzaleggerasuisse
And of course, you can also make your own. No messing around with dough though - these are all recipes made using quinoa or millet or zucchini or cauliflower instead of wheat flour. You’ll be surprised at how good they taste - because really, the pizza taste we love come more from the toppings than the crust.
https://www.pinterest.com/healthwisech/healthier-pizzas/
4. Sigh. I feel I have no choice…
Actually, you do! There are lots of grains or flours that are naturally gluten-free. Try to focus on the opportunity to discover new foods rather than on what you can’t eat.
Here are some naturally gluten-free grains and/or flours you can find in most organic stores:
- amaranth
- buckwheat
- quinoa
- brown rice
- chestnut
- almond
- coconut
- hazelnut
- oats (if certified gluten-free)
- chickpea
- teff (Ethopian flour - goes well with cookies and pancakes)
- flax meal (ground flax seeds/linseeds)
And here are some of my favorite recipes for dough-y foods:
Gluten and dairy-free Pancakes:
http://www.healthwise.ch/a-healthier-pancake-gluten-dairy-free/
Chestnut Flour Sweet Bread:
http://www.healthwise.ch/chestnut-flour-sweet-bread-or-castagnaccio/
Chickpea Flour Crepe:
http://www.healthwise.ch/chickpea-flour-crepes/
Brown Rice Crackers:
http://www.healthwise.ch/brown-rice-zaatar-crackers/
5. OK, but what about dessert?
Vital Ways near the Cornavin train station has a good choice of gluten-free desserts: Their macarons are particularly popular:
http://vital-way.com/18-desserts
Pougnier also has some baked goods that you can order and a limited choice on site:
http://www.pougnier-geneve.ch/palais-sante
Raw Temptations is a Geneva-based company with incredible tasting raw, homemade truffles:
http://www.rawtemptation.com/order-online/
And of course, you can always make your own! Here are my favorites:
Brownies:
http://www.healthwise.ch/brownies-reinvented/
Date & Nut Balls:
http://www.healthwise.ch/raw-spice-balls/
Raw Chocolate Pie:
http://www.healthwise.ch/some-like-it-raw/
Chocolate Breakfast Cookies:
http://www.healthwise.ch/chocolate-breakfast-cookies/
6. What’s for breakfast if not toast or muesli?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. There are plenty of delicious gluten-free breakfasts - from eggs and avocado to smoothies.
Here are some of my favourite recipes:
http://www.healthwise.ch/tag/breakfast/
7. What snacks can I eat?
You can order your own snack boxes of nuts, seeds and dried fruits, delivered to your mailbox:
http://hoppbox.com/hoppbox-eng/
Or you can prepare your own - here are some ideas:
http://www.healthwise.ch/healthy-snack-ideas
So as you can see, gluten-free in Geneva can be quite exciting if you choose to see this as an adventure and an opportunity to discover new places and foods!
