Are Barley, Rye and Oats Gluten Free? Barley Tea in Japan

Are barley, rye and oats gluten free?

Here is the short answer in one table.

The word “gluten” first meant a wheat protein.

Gliadin + glutenin = gluten

Wheat flour has these two proteins. When you add water and knead, they join together and form gluten, which makes dough stretchy and elastic. Hordein in barley, secalin in rye and avenin in oats are very similar to gliadin in wheat. But they have different names, and they give almost none of the stretch that makes bread rise.

Even so, the rules in the US, the EU, Australia and other places define gluten by whether people with celiac disease react to it. So barley and rye proteins are also “gluten” under those rules. In Japan, most people hear “gluten” and think of what makes bread and noodles chewy. In other words, they think of wheat. I wrote more about this gap in what “gluten free” means in Japan.

Where is barley in Japanese food?

Barley is never far from the table in Japan, yet it is not covered by allergen labeling. If the ingredient list says “大麦” (barley) or “麦芽” (malt), you can find it. But it is not shown in the clear way wheat is. In packaged food, 麦芽エキス bakuga ekisu (malt extract), 麦芽水飴 bakuga mizuame (malt syrup) and モルトエキス moruto ekisu (also malt extract) are mostly made from barley too. For malt in beer and other drinks, see our guide to gluten-free alcohol in Japan. Remember these words when you read ingredient lists. Note that ingredient and allergen labels are required only on packaged, processed food. Restaurant dishes and side dishes sold loose have no labeling duty (Japan’s allergen labeling rules).

The Japanese word mugi (麦) usually covers both barley and wheat. But the mugi in mugicha, oshimugi and mugi miso is barley, and mugi meshi (rice with mugi) is also usually made with barley. The single word mugi does not always tell you which grain it is. On the other hand, hatomugi (Job’s tears) has mugi in its name, but it is not a gluten-containing grain. You cannot always judge by the name.

Is barley tea gluten free? Mugicha, the hidden barley of summer

Mugicha is the classic summer drink in Japan. Many homes keep a jug of it in the fridge. At casual eateries and set-meal restaurants (teishoku-ya), it is common to get cold mugicha instead of water.

Mugicha is made from roasted barley. Barley is not gluten free, so mugicha is not treated as gluten free either. I could not find official data on how much protein passes from the barley into the tea. Since no one knows, if you need to avoid barley, the surest choice is not to drink it.

Barley sits outside Japan’s labeling rules, so no one will warn you. When someone says “here’s your tea,” it is worth asking whether it is green tea or barley tea.

Color alone does not always help. Hojicha (roasted green tea) is a similar brown. Also, some “blend teas” (burendo-cha) in bottles or in restaurants contain barley or malt. So the question is not only “green tea or barley tea?”

Is mochi mugi gluten free? Barley in the health boom

In recent years, mochi mugi has become popular in Japan. It is a type of barley with a soft, chewy texture. It is high in fiber (barley beta-glucan), so more families now cook it with white rice for their health.

When you eat out, health-minded set-meal restaurants, cafes and Japanese restaurants may mix mochi mugi or oshimugi into the rice. It looks like white rice with a few extra grains. You may not notice unless someone tells you. If you have celiac disease, check whether the rice has barley in it too.

Are oats gluten free? Avenin and the mixing problem

The protein in oats is called avenin. Oats contain less of this protein than wheat, barley or rye contain of theirs, and people with celiac disease are known to react to it less. Australia’s celiac patient organization estimates that fewer than 1 in 10 people with celiac disease react to oats that are free from other grains.

The problem is mixing. Ordinary oats on the market often get mixed with wheat or barley in the field or the factory. So countries treat oats differently.

• EU, UK and Canada: oats grown and processed to prevent mixing with wheat and other grains, at 20 ppm or less, can be labeled “gluten free”
• US: oats can be labeled “gluten free” if the final product is under 20 ppm (there are no rules on how they are produced)
• Australia and New Zealand: oats cannot be labeled “gluten free”

Oatmeal is getting more popular in Japan too, but Japan has no legal standard for “gluten free.” Decide with your doctor whether you can eat oats, and check whether a product was made to prevent mixing.

Can you eat barley with a wheat allergy?

Broadly, people with food restrictions draw the line in one of two places. Some only need the ingredient left out. Others must also avoid cross-contact (traces picked up during cooking). Where your line is changes how you deal with barley.

People who only need to avoid wheat as an ingredient, such as people with a wheat allergy, can sometimes eat barley, according to medical guidance. The proteins in wheat, barley, rye and oats share similar parts (this is called cross-antigenicity). Still, some people can eat barley with no symptoms. A wheat allergy alone is generally not considered a reason to cut out barley, rye and oats as a group. Most people with a wheat allergy are said to be able to drink mugicha. For my book, I interviewed a woman who has lived with a wheat allergy for more than ten years. She told me mugicha and mochi mugi are fine for her. But that is her own line, which she has checked with her doctor. Decide your line with your doctor.

For people who must also avoid barley and rye, such as people with celiac disease, barley in Japan is easy to miss, because it does not appear on allergen labels. Barley tea, barley rice, barley miso and malt in packaged food: keep these four in mind every time you eat in Japan.

Japanese phrases to use at restaurants

For the full guide on explaining your needs, see how to explain food allergies at restaurants in Japan.

How we approach barley at WE TABLE

When you say “gluten” at a restaurant in Japan, the staff will usually think only of wheat. Barley comes to the table quite naturally, with no bad intent, as barley tea or barley rice. That is why we suggest you name the grains, “wheat, barley and rye,” instead of using the single word “gluten.” On JOURNEY (our guided dinners, with a course built around your restrictions), we check with the chef in advance which parts of the meal contain barley or wheat, including the rice, the tea and the seasonings. Then we tell you openly how far the kitchen could keep them apart. We do not say “it’s safe.” What we can tell you is what we checked, and how far.