Shabbat with food allergies

Shabbat with food allergies

The Jewish Sabbath, “Shabbat,” is a spiritually uplifting, beautiful day of festive meals. Many of the traditional Shabbat dishes like challah, kugel and gefilte fish are loaded with food allergens. Let's explore delicious, allergy-friendly alternatives to some Shabbat classics.

Challah, the traditional bread eaten at the beginning of all Shabbat meals, is typically made from wheat flour and eggs. Both ingredients are on the “Big Eight” list of most common allergens. Prepare an egg-free challah recipe and you will find that it is difficult to distinguish from its egg-based counterpart. Be sure to omit the egg wash glaze to make it truly egg-free. Sesame seeds are also potential allergens for some people.

Gluten-free mushrooms are a little harder to find. Luckily, we live in amazing times of access to gluten-free products. There are several companies that produce ready-made gluten-free mushrooms. If you're ready to make gluten-free challah from scratch, roll up your sleeves, find a good gluten-free challah recipe and give it a try. Make sure it's dairy-free (so it's suitable for a meat-based Sabbath meal). You'll also want to look at the ingredient list to make sure you have some of the hard-to-find ingredients.

The next course in a traditional Shabbat meal is fish. If you have a fish allergy, simply substitute any other appetizer you like. Hot soup, chilled soups, salads, fresh fruit, etc. If you do not have a fish allergy but are sensitive to eggs and gluten, note that most prepared gefilte fish sandwiches contain both egg and wheat. The exception is on Passover. During Passover, gefilte breads omit the wheat but still have eggs. Skip the gefilte fish and prepare a simple fish fillet without breading and eggy dressing. Salmon, tilapia, flounder and sole are all suitable egg-free, gluten-free fish solutions.

On to the soup. Steaming bowls of chicken soup with matzo balls are a Shabbat classic. These special dumplings have both wheat and egg ingredients. You can either make gluten-free matzoh balls (Passover is a good time to look for gluten-free matzoh ball mixes) or skip the matzoh balls. Add additional carrots, squash, onions, and pasta (wheat-free varieties).

The main course of Shabbat food doesn't have to be a food allergy obstacle course. Serve chicken without breading. Have plenty of fresh salads (without nuts and croutons) and steamed vegetables on hand. Potatoes or rice are great gluten-free side dishes. If you avoid wheat, don't make rice pilaf. The pilaf is an orzo wheat-based pasta.

Kugel, a traditional Sabbath staple, typically calls for wheat flour and eggs. Look for recipes that omit one or both. Potato balls can be made gluten-free, as can a variety of vegetable casseroles.

No Shabbat lunch is complete without a beef stew called Cholent. Cholent is usually made from stew meat, sliced ​​potatoes, barley, beans, onions, water, and spices (cooked in a slow cooker to bring out all the flavors and to comply with Jewish cooking prohibitions on the Sabbath). Cholent can easily be adapted to be gluten-free. Simply replace the barley with a bag of whole grain rice (leave the rice only in the crock pot, not the plastic bag). Also check condiment labels for gluten ingredients. Teriyaki sauce, onion soup mix, and BBQ (popular choleent enhancers) may all contain wheat.

Now for the best part of the meal, dessert. Some dairy-free ice creams call for egg ingredients. Opt for soy- or rice-based ice cream (check for pareve designation). Baked goods often contain wheat, egg, and nut ingredients, so be especially careful with things you didn't make yourself. Buy ready-made baked goods from specialty allergy bakeries or look for recipes that omit your allergens (eggless cookies, flourless chocolate cake, etc.).

Inspired by Tamar Varga