Gluten Free Pizza and Pasta @ Tuscanas

People behind the scenes of Tuscana and Kryptos continue to awe us with their innovative techniques to serve the public be it their idea of introducing the Bilingual Menu ( English and Tamil ) at Kryptos or coming up with Gluten Free Pizza and Pasta. Yes Yes, Chennai city now has a place that serves Gluten Free Pizza and Pasta. I hear a huge sigh from mother of children affected by Celiac disease. A gluten free diet is the one medically accepted treatment for this disease

What is gluten? The simple answer is that it is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.

"A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as "dextrin". A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease, the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis , and wheat allergy"

The next question is why do people eat a gluten-free diet. There are actually a variety of reasons for eating gluten free 1. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by gluten. When a person with celiac disease eats gluten, their body attacks the linking of the small intestine which leads to malabsorption and a variety of symptoms.A gluten-free diet is the only way to treat celiac disease. It is important that people with the disease strictly follow the diet. Even small amounts of gluten from cross contamination of processed foods can cause an autoimmune reaction.That is part of the reason the gluten-free diet is becoming more popular. 2. There is a growing number of people who have gluten sensitivity. In many ways they react to gluten with the same symptoms as people with celiac disease, but they test negative for the disease. 3. Many parents are finding that children with autism spectrum disorders improve dramatically on a gluten and casein (milk protein) free diet. 4. With all the publicity about gluten free, some people think its a weight loss diet. In fact, gluten-free substitutes usually contain more calories. However, some people do find that they have a gluten addiction and cutting it out can help them to lose weight. Quoting Mr. Vipin Sachdev ( Owner of Tuscana and Kryptos ) Tuscana launches Gluten Free Pizzas & Pastas as a healthy ; delicious option for individuals intolerant to gluten (Celiac disease), a digestive disorder due to severe gluten sensitivity. However those suffering with joint pain, brain fog, loss of balance or other neurologic and auto-immune disorders may also benefit from a similar diet as some studies have linked these and other illnesses to gluten consumption. Gluten free Pizzas & Pastas are also dairy and egg free & Pastas are also made exclusively with organically grown rice and corn from Northern Italy. Gluten Free Fusilli Corn base & Gluten Free Spaghetti Corn base - This pasta is made out of organic corn flour. There are myriad health benefits of eating corn. It contains high amount of insoluble fiber and has a Low Glycemic Index (33), - a diet based on a low glycemic index will help diabetics to better control their blood glucose levels and subsequently manage their diabetes better. Corn is high in fiber which can help to lower cholesterol level and also reduces risk of colon cancer. Corn is rich in folate that helps in generation of new cells, especially important before and during pregnancy. Gluten Free Penne Rice base & Gluten Free Spaghetti rice base - This pasta is made out of organic rice flour. Rice pasta makes a good base for a low-calorie meal because they are relatively low in calories and fat. Gluten free homemade pizza dough is made out of millet flour, potato starch and tapioca. It can be served with various selections of vegetables and meats. There is a choice of three varieties of sauces, which are tomato base, pesto base and marinara base. Since it is made out of millet, it is rich in proteins and amino acids, makes it perfect for vegetarian diets. Intake of millet regularly has been shown to reduce the occurrence of wheezing.

                           

                                  

                                  

                         

Some of the starters that were doing rounds during the launch

The base of Pizza is made of Tapioca Starch , Jowar Flour, Bajra Flour and Potato Starch in various proportions. The Penne Pasta, Spaghetti is all made from rice base. The base of Gluten free pizza is not as flexible and soft like the ones made with Maida. But apart from that, the taste is all the same. Its yummy and light on the stomach. We have heard that the original Italian Pizza has been Indianized, but wait till you taste the Gluten Free ones from Tuscana. Pizza has become truly Desi with the flours from the Indian Pantry being used to made the base of the Pizza

Gluten Free Pizza

Dough used to make the Pizza

Another variety of the Vegetarian Pizza

 The pasta that is available under the Gluten Free category is made from Rice. These pasta are not shiny and smooth like the ones we normally use, but are a little more soft. Chef Willi explained that, where pasta needs to be cooked for 11 minutes, rice pasta needs to be blanched in hot water for 9 minutes.

This pasta does not only help you in your diet and health it is easy to cook too

Rice Penne tossed with Tomato and Olives

A Closer view

Variety of Pasta available : Rice Penne,Rice Spaghetti,the dough for Pizza Base

Gluten Free Cake made from Almond Meal

Vanilla Panacotta with Blueberry

This innovative idea is a very good one and highly recommended.The results could be vividly seen in the faces that lit up after having the first bite of the Pizza, which includes mine as well.. Here is wishing the Tuscana team all the very best for the new initiative and many more to come.