When a banana in the form of a salad, pudding, treat, dessert, or snack is on the menu, you’ll surely find me there.
One of the numerous banana derivatives I’ve taken so much interest in is turon, for its unique taste. When I feel like taking a break from my homemade quesadillas, I always fall back on turon.
However, being on a gluten-free diet, is it ideal?
Is Turon Gluten Free?
Turon is not gluten-free. It is made with gluten-free fruits such as the saba banana and jackfruit, but is then wrapped with a wheat wrapper, which contains gluten.
When the turon is fried, the wheat flour forms gluten networks responsible for that not-too-crunchy bite that holds its own.
If you get turon from a roadside vendor or a Filipino restaurant, be 100% sure it contains gluten; the only way around this is to make your wrappers yourself.
I had once called a dining establishment to make reservations and to let them know my dietary needs ahead of my visit.
The restaurant used a rice wrapper instead, which was surprisingly a crunchier adventure (at the time, I hadn’t started exploring rice papers).
However, I got home with nausea and discomfort. Then over the next day, I started bloating with immense abdominal cramps.
Apparently, I don’t know if they truly used a safer wrap, because the food was still contaminated, and they only had apologies and refunds to offer, but does that take away my discomfort? No! So keep that in mind.
A holistic view of Turon’s constituents
Here is an overview of the ingredients used in turon and details on if they contain gluten or not
Bananas: I have never seen that treat made from bananas that didn’t turn out decadent and endearing. Especially if you lean into the custardy and creamier varieties, like the Java banana. This natural fruit is void of gluten.
Jackfruit: In turon, the jackfruit provides that balance between the caramelized sugar and banana. It is naturally void of gluten. However, if you’re getting the canned ones, scan through the label for the gluten-free stamps.
Sugar: Caramelized sugar elevates desserts effortlessly. Think panna cotta, caramelized popcorn, and recently, I stumbled on a bubble tea ice cream with added caramel, and it was heavenly. Caramelized sugar doesn’t contain gluten.
The cooking oil: Usually, plain cooking oils are void of gluten, but when it’s been used to fry a gluten-containing substance, the oil becomes contaminated.
Way around the wheat wrapper
Besides the Celiac Disease Foundation listing wheat-contaminated foods as a major source of gluten that should be avoided for effective management of gluten allergy, you definitely know how you feel when you consume gluten-containing foods.
For me, the few times I had contaminated food, it wasn’t nice at all. Either it gave me brain fog and prevented me from engaging in my hobby (reading), or it gave me gut discomfort.
Now, you don’t need to skip turon because it contains gluten; you just need to deploy an effective way around it.
While other papers may be crunchier, they usually don’t hold their form as well as a wheat wrapper would.
The way around this is to use cassava flour mixed with tapioca starch held together by psyllium starch for that wheat-flour-esque performance.
Rice paper is another great alternative. It doesn’t have an imposing flavor, which means it doesn’t interfere with the goodness of turon’s taste. However, you’ll be trading that chewy crunch of the traditional wheat wrapper.
All in all
Do not have turon if you are on a gluten-free diet. Turon contains gluten and would certainly upset your body.
However, if you must enjoy this great treat, then you need to do some trade-offs… Swapping the traditional wheat wrappers for some alternatives like cassava + tapioca starch, rice papers, or other gluten-free wrappers.
