I am new to gluten-free living. I have been unable to locate any information about whether semolina contains gluten. Do you have any information that will clear this up for me?
Semolina is a form of wheat and therefore not safe for those who follow a gluten-free diet. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, which went into effect last year, says processors have to identify wheat in common terms.
That means, the label should now read: “semolina (wheat), which is the way I would think processors do it. Or they may use the phrase “contains wheat” below the ingredients list.
Other names for wheat are durum, farina, einkorn, bulgar, cake flour, matzo and couscous.
Spelt and kamut are forms of wheat and triticale is a combination of wheat and rye. Avoid them all.*
*Gluten-Free French Desserts and Baked Goods is a gluten-free cookbook on the market that is especially attractive. But some of the recipes call for “rice semolina” or “cream of farina.” The authors are simply misusing the terms and mean a form of rice or cream of rice cereal. But their misuse could be dangerous. The words semolina and farina refer to wheat. I called the publishing company and they are going to correct the error when they reprint.
