Advice

In order to avoid giving the same recipes that are freely available in books, I prefer to emphasis on the differences between a normal diet and a gluten-free diet.

Sauces and Soups: Soups can be thickened with crushed rice or the bran of corn. Sauces will be lighter with Maizena.

Salads: apart from “Taboulé” which is based on wheat, all salads of vegetables are allowed.

Tarts and Pizzas: The pastry is made with eggs instead of water, added to the maizena. For Pizzas, it will be oil instead of margarine, the result is excellent !

Boureks: They will be made in pancakes (with Maïzena) and cooked in the oven. Stuffing exist for all tastes.

Meat, poultry, fish: are all allowed except when they are breadcrumbs covered and fried. You can use semolina of corn or maizena instead of breadcrumbs and instead of wheat flour... and of course, oil itself would not have been used to fry other breadcrumbs covered food or food made from wheat flour.

Vegetables: All vegetables are allowed even dried ones.

Couscous and pasta: Couscous can be made with corn semolina and Maizena the same way that it is usually made. For pasta, normal pasta is not allowed but there are 2 gluten-free pasta makers in Algeria, please click on products in Algeria.

Cheese: Are all allowed (white cheese, melted cheese, camembert, petits-suisses, etc.)

Desserts: Yoghurts, creams, flans and ice-cream are all allowed.

Drinks: Care must be taken from milkshakes and hot-chocolates, they are often made with and thickened with flour and it is rarely mentioned on the label. Lemonades, juice and syrups are allowed but please read the label.

Sweets: Chocolate is allowed except the one mixed with cookies, biscuit, or wafer. Caramel is allowed but be careful of malt extracts ! (see Texture agents in food additives.)

Canned food and jams: They are generally allowed.

Pastries and cakes: They should be made with corn flour. They will be different from ordinary cakes but no less delicious.

The most important advice that I can give is that you must always read the label.