Is buckwheat gluten-free? Yes, despite the name (and the soba trap)

Yes. Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free. Despite the name, it isn’t wheat and isn’t even a grass. It’s the seed of a plant related to rhubarb and sorrel. Coeliac UK lists it as gluten-free.

Where people get caught out

Pure buckwheat is fine. The dishes made from it often aren’t pure:

• Soba noodles (Japan). Most soba is a blend of buckwheat and wheat flour, commonly 80:20 (ni-hachi). Only juwari soba (十割そば) is 100% buckwheat. Even then, soba is usually boiled in shared water and served with a soy-sauce dipping sauce, and most soy sauce contains wheat.
• Galettes (Brittany). Traditional galettes are buckwheat, water and salt, but many crêperies add wheat flour to make the batter easier. Ask whether the galette is “100% sarrasin” and whether the pan is shared with wheat crêpes.
• Pizzoccheri (Valtellina, Italy). These buckwheat pasta ribbons are traditionally made with some wheat flour.
• Blini and pancake mixes. Often part wheat. Read the ingredient list.

Buckwheat flour and cross-contact

Buckwheat is often milled where wheat is milled, and there have been recalls of buckwheat flour for undeclared gluten. A pack labelled gluten-free (20 mg/kg or less in the EU, UK and US) is the easy choice for flour; for whole groats (kasha), plain buckwheat with no gluten-containing ingredient is fine for most people.

Buckwheat is a gift for gluten-free cooking: nutty, filling, great in pancakes, porridge and bread. The seed is gluten-free; the soba, the galette and the pizzoccheri are where you ask.

Keep reading

• The Hidden-Gluten Watchlist: the 15 forbidden names and the ones to check
• Buckwheat flour in the Flour Library
• Buckwheat vs wheat, compared
• Gluten-free Japan: our country page
• Restaurant cards and the free card tool (Japanese included)

Sources: Codex Alimentarius (gluten-free = 20 mg/kg or less), EU Regulation 828/2014, Coeliac UK, NHS. We inform, we don’t diagnose: for medical questions, your doctor or dietitian has the last word.