It’s hard to think of a culture more gluten-centered than the French. Baguettes are a daily tradition, as are pastries, croissants, cakes, biscuits (cookies in the US), and tarts. Then you have flour-thickened sauces such as bêchamel and velouté. So it was a bit of a surprise to find a selection of gluten-free fad diet books in a bookstore in Albi. Most of them were translations of American books such as Wheat Belly. From my observations, the fad hasn’t caught on amongst most French people.
About the time I first wrote this post, Julian got an email from our friend whose older daughter has celiac disease. They will be visiting friends in Paris later in the summer, and they’re obviously anxious about gluten-free dining. Yogurt and fruit are probably the best bet for breakfast. Gluten-free options do exist, but it may take more hunting.
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They have much stricter rules on growing and harvesting wheat, and what other ingredients are allowed in their foods.