<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Below are all the responses I received regarding gluten contamination of asafoetida.
I separated each response by a dashed line and removed the names.
I am still waiting for responses from some suppliers - in the hope that a gluten-free brand can be located.
Alice
Responses start here:
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The only ones I've seen contain wheat flour. I stopped
buying all of them after I saw wheat listed as an
ingredient. I'd love to find some that is gluten free
because it's very tasty!
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The bottle we have says that it has wheat starch. Therefore, others in
our house use it, not I. Maybe this varies by manufacturer.
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No it's not just a rumor ; my mother has a small jar of hing which
clearly lists wheat in the ingredients. Sorry, I don't know about any
GF brands, but I imagine if you shop at an Indian spice shop, you'll
find different brands, and perhaps one that's GF.
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I'm not sure, from your note, if you are considering using the spice,
or if you're concerned about ordering food in Indian restaurants.
BUT ... sounds like anything made from this spice is probably
off-limits -- although you might find a restaurant that uses (or
perhaps you could find for yourself) the pure form (lumps). I have
dining cards from TriumphDining.com, and the Indian food version
calls out "hing" as highly suspect. (I'm thinking that I might add
"asafoetida" to my card, though, as that seems to be the Indian name
for the spice.) I suppose you could POSSIBLY also go on what the
bottle says about its ingredients ... that is, if it calls out "corn
starch" or some other identifiable non-gluten ingredients, then
perhaps it could be considered. But if it is simply powdered spice
(no other substrate listed), and the other ingredients are not noted
or vague, definitely stay away!
This is just a great website for finding out all kinds of things
about herbs and spices.
Here's the entry for asafoetida:
http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Feru_ass.html.
This doesn't really talk about its processing, but DOES speak of it's
highly pungent (and strongly so) nature, which is probably why it
typically is broken down into powder and "cut" with another substrate.
However, I did find this, which is pretty explicit:
http://www.peppertrail.com/php/displayContent.php3?link_id=99&link_id_tmp=97&parent_link=10
> It is sold either as lumps or in powdered form. The lump asafoetida is
> the most common form of pure asafoetida. In making commercially ground
> asafoetida the resins are combined with small quantities of rice,
> barley or wheat flour to prevent lumping and to reduce the strong
> flavor. Processed asafoetida often varies in color and texture because
> of the difference in additives. It is available as either mustard
> yellow powder or sandy brown coarse powder.
And also this:
http://www.annapurnahing.com/asafoetidamain.htm
> Compounded asafoetida (Bandhani Hing) is blended with starch, wheat
> flour, rice flour or maize flour to make it palatable. Purity is
> determined by the quality of asafoetida content, and the quality and
> proportion of the acceptable additives.
Hope this helps! I've been wondering about hing, myself -- which is why
I did a little digging on your behalf.
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All the *powdered* hing I have seen in Indian stores are processed with
wheat...and I've checked out at least 10 brands. Yes, I'm told that
sometimes it's processed with rice flour or corn starch, but I have yet to
see it in stores.
Alternatively, you could check out the hing in a non-powdered form. You
should be able to find this at your local Indian grocer. But be forewarned,
my Indian aunt uses non-powdered hing -- and she has to use a hammer to
break it apart. Hing is, as you mentioned, a resin, so it can be quite tough
to manipulate in a non-powdered form.
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