GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, LACTOSE-FREE, EGG-FREE, NUT FREE – GOING ON A HOLIDAY, WHAT CAN I EAT?
Did you ever get on a long haul flight and tick one or more of those boxes, only to be given fruit for all 3 meals? Many of us have.
Well, there is a lot of fruit in Bali, so you will be fine! No, seriously, you already know a list of things you can eat, you are already sending that list to the airline….so, what about the rest of your holiday?
Going on a holiday means you don’t have to cook, plan meals, do dishes etc. It’s supposed to be a time when you get hungry, you just choose one of the many restaurants on offer, right?….not for people with allergies.
Some allergies give you a pretty bad tummy, some are life-threatening. So, going on a holiday, and trying to work out what you can eat, in a foreign country (with language barriers), can be a little stressful…and holidays are supposed to be stress-free.
So, what can you eat on your Bali holiday?
Some people print off laminated cards with a list of foods in Indonesian that they cannot eat, and a list of foods they can. This helps, when the cook can read, you can use these with some confidence in a fancy restaurant, or a place recommended by a friend that has catered to their needs. These are good if you are staying in a resort, or only eating in more Westernized places. Mind you many list ingredients on those lists are not even found here, so best to narrow the list down a bit.
What if you want to try the local food?
In Bali, you may find, if you want to try the local delicacies, that the person cooking may be illiterate, we still have high illiteracy numbers in the over 30 age group here, especially in women. Or the cook may have only basic reading skills, and not understand, even when translated what you mean.
Allergies to food are not as common here as they are in the Western world, well, maybe not diagnosed, it’s not often a Doctor will say a child is allergic to a food as a diagnosis. A Doctor may say to cut out, say eggs for a while and see if that rash goes away, but as the locals are not high wheat or dairy consumers, those allergies are not usually common. In our village, if that child’s rash has not gone away after eliminating the suspected food for 1 week, it’s time to get in a Balian (Natural Healer) and see what demons are in the child.
Eating local food, prepared by a local that has been cooking it for 30+ years, will be some of the best local food you can try……but what’s in it?
Well, probably the first thing to look at is what local dishes are on most menus in places that tourists will visit.
Let’s pop down to a local Indonesian Warung
Hard to find one with Balinese food, but there will be a mix of Indonesian dishes from different regions, depending on the owner’s origin, even some close to Western food may pop up on the menu.
A Warung is a small restaurant, or just a little set up at the front of the house, usually, the cook has no formal training, can be mum, dad or Grandma etc, just cooking the same way they learnt from childhood.
Let’s see what’s on the menu
There is always the familiar on the menu, well, familiar once you have been in Bali a few days. Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng, Kentang Goreng, Bihun Goreng, Ayam Goreng, Ikan Goreng, Sayer Goreng, Tempe Goreng, Tahu Goreng, Pisang Goreng.
Goreng means fried, yep, they love to fry, so, how come no one is fat? A lot of things are not actually deep fried, they are just prepared using a wok, thus the word fried.
Unlike Thailand, the oil used for cooking is not peanut oil, it is usually a very cheap high cholesterol vegetable oil, but some areas still use coconut oil, it will depend on whether they have a lot of coconuts. If no coconuts, then it is cheaper to just buy the vegetable oil. And, unlike the cheap Western take away food way of reusing oil for frying, it is not generally reused, unless if you are buying off the street carts, then it can be reheated repeatedly. However, Grandma out the back cooking in a warung will use a small amount of oil for her many of her ‘Goreng’ dishes, and there will not be much to reuse.
Let’s translate some foods
Nasi – Rice (Nasih Puth – Plain White Rice)
Mie – Wheat Noodles
Kentang – Potato
Bihun - Rice Noodles
Ayam – Chicken
Ikan – Fish
Sayer – vegetables
Pisang – Banana
Telur - Egg
Tempe – Tempeh
Tahu - Tofu … Oh, now don’t go thinking it's Tofu you tried in your country, that spongy tasteless thing some hippy vegan made you, is not what Tofu of Indonesia tastes like. Do make sure you try it here!
Tempe and Tofu Goreng, do check that they are not coated in flour, the Balinese do not generally do that, but Indonesians often do, and some small Indonesian food carts have yummy snacks made with both Tempe & Tofu but coated in flour. Tempe is right up there with a staple for the Balinese, nearly up there with rice, and can be prepared in many ways, so check that it is plain, as Tempe can be cooked in Sauces (marinated in sweet soy sauce).
EGGS
Many local rice dishes come with a fried egg on top, if you ask for no egg, be aware that they may just remove that egg, but the dish still contains egg, such as Mie Goreng and Nasi Goreng. Ask for “Tanpa Telur” – without egg.
“Ada Telur?” - is there egg? If the answer is yes, then “Tidak mau Telur” – I don’t want egg. You can try, but if Grandma makes it with egg, she’s making it with egg, so order something else.
Best to stick to the Western menus, and there are plenty, if you are allergic to egg. I mean, who puts eggs with their McDonalds fries? No, seriously, you don't have to eat McDonalds in Bali to get a Western meal...Actually, McDonalds serve a lot of rice...that's Asia. Seriously, you can get a range of western foods in Bali, just like back home and they won't add egg to a meal that does not have egg in the recipe.
MILK/ DAIRY
Now, you would not find traditional Balinese main dish on the menu that uses any dairy/milk, so if your allergy is dairy then you came to the right place. You will not even find milk in the Balinese pancakes in our village, and I would have to say, and all our guests have said, they are the best pancakes in Bali, yum
Coconut milk does feature a lot in Balinese, and Indonesian cooking, not however as a substitute for dairy, it is used as a part of the flavour of the dish.
There are some more modern Indonesian deserts that use cow’s milk.
Speaking of Milk, you can find soy milk in supermarkets in tourist areas, but be prepared, it’s full of sugar. You can even find Almond milk in the expensive supermarkets that offer imported foods but be prepared for the price tag.
NUTS
Peanuts are a big part of the Balinese diet, when it comes to savory eating, but just peanuts, and usually on the side, so there will be traces in the kitchen. In our area, everyone grows their own peanuts, not cashews, or any other nuts. Apart from peanuts, all other nuts are very expensive here.
If you have a peanut allergy, the word for peanut is also used for beans, so the only way you can be sure is to show photos of peanuts, have a few photos on your phone, not cartoons, not with the red prohibited symbol (as locals still drive through stop signs), no card will help 100%. The photos must be of Indonesian peanuts, they are smaller than normal, and the words “Aku Makan, aku Akan Mati”. I eat, I will die!, or “Saya Makan, Saya Akan Mati”. You need to be simple and direct and polite here, do not beat around the bush, to get such a serious message across.
If it is a severe allergy, do not believe there have not been peanuts in a small local kitchen.
When it comes to more high-end places, you may see some finely sliced toasted almonds accompanying a dish, some parts of Indonesia make lovely deserts using almond meal, so you need to check. Other nuts are more expensive, so the more upmarket the place or bakery, the more you need to check, and the more likely they can answer your questions.
GLUTEN
Ahh Gluten, that sneaky one that can be found in so many dishes of the modern world.
You already understand bread, and there are a few places in tourist areas of Bali that sell Gluten Free bread, expensive in relative terms to the price of wheat bread here, but you are on a holiday. Wheat bread here is very sweet, locals would not really enjoy the loaves of bread you have back home, they also have Pandan Bread, which is green, it can look like a pack of dish sponges
The main concern you will have with Gluten at a Warung is the type of Noodle and the sauce.
Which sauce are you looking out for? Kecap Manis (a sweet soy sauce) is the base of many local dishes, however, there is a Gluten-free brand, readily available in all supermarkets, so you can check what the kitchen is using, and you can bring your own, and ask them to use that. You can buy small sachets if you like, as you may not want to hand over a bottle of sauce, and then ask for it back…. might get lost in translation. The brand is called BANGO.
How do you ask a Grandma to use your sauce? Handing Grandma, a card with the information on it, is not going to work, you might as well have written it in Chinese.
A lot of miming may help, a lot of head-nodding, a lot of smiling, and a lot of patience. You need to make sure she understands, and if there is no other person there to translate, that understands as well, then you are going to have to try yourself.
Let’s order a Bihun Goreng (Rice noodles with vegetables, which can come with some chicken as well) from the waiter in a busy local warung, that has no tourists in it, at lunchtime, and ask him to have the kitchen use this sauce you brought……..do you really think he is going to remember to do that? Or, Grandma will even know what the sauce packet is for? Grandma will think it is a gift from a nice tourist, and put it on her kitchen shelf, and continue cooking. You will need to check for yourself, busy local staff are not used to the demands of patrons, and most locals just eat what they are given.
You will be able to see where the kitchen is, and you may even see the cooking taking place right in front of you.
When the waiter and the venue is not too busy, show them the sauce, and say you would like the person making your meal to use this sauce if possible. If the waiter's English is not good then you need to keep it simple
“Permisi” – “excuse me” (do it with nodding of the head, remember you are asking a favour here, it is not a Western country where the customer comes first, is always right etc)
“Boleh saya minta Bihun Goreng” – May I please order Bihun Goreng
“Boleh saya ganti saus” – May I please change the sauce
“Saya alergi Kecap Manis Biasa”, = I am allergic to normal Kecap manis,
“saya tidak alergi Kecap Manis Bango” = I am not allergic to Kecap Manis Bango
So, it would all be
“Permisi, Boleh saya minta Bihun Goreng, Boleh saya ganti saus. Saya alergi Kecap Manis Biasa, saya tidak alergi Kecap Manis Bango”
While of course, you are holding up the sauce the whole time, smiling and all the local patrons are staring and giggling. You will get used to that, don’t worry, staring and giggling when they don’t know what is going in is very normal.
So, you are now thinking, How the hell do you pronounce that?
SayAR
ARlerGey
KeChap MaNis
SayAR
TiDak
ARlerGey
KeChap MaNis Bango
Can’t say it? Don’t worry, write it down, and find someone who can read and explain it to Grandma. Otherwise order something else, such as Kentang Goreng (like French fries) and Ikan Goreng (Fried fish) or Ikan Bakar (Grilled Fish)
However, write it down as follows, don't use the cards on the internet full of lots of confusing stuff:
Boleh saya minta makan, saya mau ganti saus.
Saya alergi Kecap Manis Biasa, saya tidak alergi Kecap Manis Bango.
Boleh Saya Ganti Saus? Saya ada Saus Bango untuk dapur, saya bawa sendiri.
You can use this sauce exchange method for ordering Nasi Goreng as well, it has Kecap Manis in it, however, it also has Kecap Asin, just a dash, better known to Westerners as Soy Sauce, but really not that delicious true Chinese Soy sauce. Kecap Asin is also available in Gluten Free here, a well known brand called Kikkoman offers a gluten-free version. Easier to find may be Liquid Aminos, it will be closer in taste to the Soy Sauce Indonesians use, so Grandma cooking won’t be upset by the difference in taste.
Don’t want to change sauces, just want them to leave them out altogether? Well, you better watch Grandma like a Hawk, she doesn’t want your food to taste bland, so she will just sneak a little bit in there, not a problem.
I don’t want that
“Without”, in Indonesian is “Tanpa”, we do not say No, as in No wheat. However, you can say Tanpa, Tanpa, Tanpa till the sun goes down, but she is not going to ruin her reputation of delicious food, just because you might get sick. So, choose another dish if you don’t want to change sauces.
You can say Tanpa Gula, (no sugar) for example with your coffee, good idea if you are ordering a Bali coffee or tea in a local place, as they generally serve tea and coffee with sugar.
Don’t say Tidak Gula - No sugar, that is rude, we ask for “without”, not “No”.
Polos is another word you may wish to learn, it means plain, so if you want to order cooked vegetables, which are called Sayur Goreng, then you would ask for “Sayur Goreng, polos, tanpa saus”…..and hope you get plain.
Identifying ingredients
For other dishes, you should really be able to identify what’s in most, but if you visit a supermarket and want to check ingredients, then the ingredients you need to watch out for may be written differently at times, which is where it can also be very confusing to locals, so don’t get frustrated if they don’t understand:
Wheat Flour - Tepung Terigu, or it may be written as Gandum Tepung
Rye – Gandum Hitam
Rye flour – Tepung Hitam
Oats – Gandum or Haver, or Oats
Oatmeal - Haver or Tepung haver or bubur haver
Oat flour – Tepung Gandum
Gula – sugar
Telur -- Egg
Susu – milk
Susu bubuk – milk powder
Kacang – peanuts, however, Kacang mete is cashews and Kacang Polong is beans and kacang hijau is green beans but can also be mung beans, and kacang buncis is string bean but is sometimes used for kidney bean and sometimes for green bean and kacang putih is white beans and Kacang tanah is also peanuts and kacang merah is red beans. So, you can see how you can confuse the locals if you just say you are allergic to peanuts, as they may think all nuts and beans. Kacang Kacangan is nuts, but can also be lentils.
Don’t be worrying too much about Barley here, Polenta or Couscous, not really found much here, but if you are in a fancy place that serves those, you will find the kitchen would know all about Coeliac Disease. Most restaurants designed for the tourist market are happy to discuss your diet needs, just do it with patience and gratitude to fit in with the Culture here.
Local snacks
There are many yummy Indonesian snacks, and even if you ask if there is wheat flour, or peanuts most of the time they won’t understand, so don’t risk it unless you are 100% sure. Many dishes of the past were made without wheat flour, as it was not available, nowadays wheat flour may be added.
One yummy treat a Coeliac may want to try is Onde Onde, Sesame Balls – yum yum, this one has mung bean paste inside, so if you are allergic to peanuts and you hear or read Kacang, it’s Mung Bean, not peanuts
Not getting what you ordered – The Dying Stage
Don’t go complaining if you don’t get what you thought you ordered, this is not a culture to complain. Grandma just wanted you to have a nice meal, with some flavour, she doesn’t want you to have a bland meal. She doesn’t want to kill you, and she hasn’t ever killed anyone with her cooking before. So, some big scene about your meal coming out with sauce you didn’t order, or there must have been some peanuts in the kitchen even though Grandma so sweetly assured you there wasn’t, will just be looked at with a blank stare, maybe an uncomfortable giggle.
Complaining and raising your voice here is not part of the Culture. So, if you are dying on the floor of the Warung, and your family are screaming for help, don’t think Grandma is going to come out to apologise, there is no way in her mind she has any responsibility for your dying. If she is Balinese, she will most likely stay far away as you obviously have a demon in you.
The Pulp Fiction Stage
Now, if you have the need for an EpiPen, you should bring extra with you. Recently a groom didn’t bring one to his wedding reception and although they were careful to ensure the wedding food was shellfish free, unfortunately the Groom spent his wedding night in hospital and the Bride finally acted out her Pulp Fiction Scene she had dreamt of. The Bestman brought the rings but wasn’t given the EpiPen.
Now, you may find your family or friends needing to administer the shot to you while they are in a relaxed, or an inebriated state. So, it might be an idea to instruct anyone travelling with you how to correctly administer the EpiPen. Just in case they inject themselves, a complete stranger, or they have simply been wanting to act out a scene from pulp fiction for years and stick it straight through your sternum while everyone videos it, especially the locals, they love a bit of live entertainment.
Disclaimer: this is not medical advice, it is important to discuss with your doctor the correct medication you may need should you have an allergic reaction.
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