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Hi,
A technical correction and more info on taro
 
Kemp Randolph <[log in to unmask]>  wrote
> I came across some chips named "Terra Chips" the other day and suspect
>    they're safe for celiacs. A little variety for the oft montone
> celaic...
>
> What I dug from the library was that it belonged to the ARACHAE family
>   with ARUN as another technical classification...
 
Just a note here. The family is Araceae, the Arum family. Other plants
in this family include the Calla "lily" (scientific name Calla) and the
jack-in-the-pulpit (genus Arisaema), along with some other commonly
cultivated plants such as Diffenbachia and Philodendron. This family of
plants is far removed from the grasses.
 
The Hawaiian staple "poi" is made from the underground, starchy corm of the
Taro plant. Botanically, it is most unlikely that taro contains any gluten.
 
Also note that the sweet potato (scientific name Ipomoea batatas) is not a
close relative of the taro, but is a member of the morning glory family
the Convolvulaceae.
 
Kemp further comments that he checked Medline and ...
>    ... Nothing there suggested
>   that any pieces had near cousins in celiac toxic grains though one
>   reference to sweet potato as I recall....
>   So are they likely to be safe for celiacs?
 
Not medical opinion, but botanically, taro (and sweet potato too :-) ) are
extremely unlikely to contain gluten. I suppose the question to ask is
"What else might be in the chips?"
BTW I am not related to the supplier of this product.
 
Jack Alexander              [log in to unmask]