What are the main ingredients used in different ethnic foods? What are peanut safe choices for these foods?

Question

I'm allergic to peanuts and therefore have never been properly exposed to ethnic foods (South American, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Thai, Middle Eastern). I am doing research now as to what are the main ingredients used in different foods and which ones are most peanut friendly? For instance I know Thai has lots of peanuts, but Mexican is quite safe. Please provide as much information as possible.

Answer 1

Definitely avoid Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean and any other foods from South East Asia as almost all salads, curries etc include peanut. Middle Eastern Foods are a wonder to the taste buds and as also stated many Indian dishes do not use peanuts also, depending on the region. If in doubt ask. Good luck and I hope that you do get to experience an entirely wonderful sensation of aromas and tastes without harm.

Answer 2

indonesian = a big no no.

ok first id like to tell you to avoid Indonesian food, at all cost. they simply use peanuts in almost everything.and if theres no peanuts in it. theyll bake in peanut oil.

Chinese = doubtful

chinese also often bake in peanut oil, so you should ask the restaurant before eating. i would deem Cantonese ( a specific chinese kitchen) very safe to eat. thats mostly fish, meat ginger and soysauce recipes.

Europe north = safe

Europe south = a bit less safe.

the northern parts of europe germany, scandinavia, denmark,  netherlands, england. austria, france etc. are safe to eat. those kitchens usually flavour with butter, and dairy instead of spices. = no nuts.

Japanese = safe

japanese sushi has no peanuts in it. they do use a lot of sesamy, im not sure if you can eat that. p.s. if you can, the japanese have a version of peanutbutter completely made of sesamyseeds. 100% safe if you can stand sesamy. although it looks quite unapetising since its an ashy gray.

Answer 3

Chinese food can have peanuts, as can Japanese (I think the very common sort of sweet salad dressing has peanut butter) but there are many, many foods without peanuts.  Also most Greek/Middle Eastern food would not be authenic made with peanuts.

Answer 4

Indian food can be tricky, food from the state of Maharashtra does contain peanuts but other regions may use other nuts (pistachios, cashew, almonds are most popular).  In many Punjabi/Mughlai dishes, the nuts are ground into a paste and used to thicken curries and sauces.  Peanut oil may also be used for frying. Many Indian desserts also contain nuts.

I would then consider making Indian food at home, that way you know for sure.  But I do encourage you to try Indian food since not everything contains nuts!  But do let the waiter know your allergy and they will recommend which dishes to order.

Answer 5

Pakistani and Indian food use a lot of spices but no peanuts! Mexican food should be safe as should Chinese food or Japanese food!!

Answer 6

Regardless of the posts, your best defense is going to asking if the dishes contain peanuts or not.  It also depends on how allergic to peanuts you are.  Does just the scent cause a reaction?  If something came with a few ground peanuts on top - like sprinkled on top of a sundae - could you just scrape them off and eat the dish without a problem?   I have a friend who's very allergic to cumin - a common spice used in Indian, Middle Eastern and Mexican cooking.  Her allergy is so bad that she can't even go to an Indian restaurant because just the scent of cumin in the food causes a reaction.  Another friend of mine is allergic to cilantro, a common herb used in Thai and Mexican cooking.  While she won't die if she eats a little, it gives her a tummy ache, so she tries to avoid it if at all possible.

I'm sure you already know to tell your server you are allergic to peanuts.  S/he should be able to help you order dishes that contain no peanuts, as well as tell the cooking staff not to use them as a garnish (as many Thai dishes do.)

Many Thai and Malaysian dishes contain peanuts.  Anything with satay will most likely contain peanuts (satay sauce is a sort of sweet and spicy peanut butter sauce usually used for dipping curried chicken or beef skewers into.)  Chopped peanuts are also often used as a garnish, so even if the dish doesn't obviously contain peanuts, it may come with them on top.  Pineapple fried rice, which is a popular dish at Thai and Malaysian restaurants contains peanuts.  There are also many peanut-flavored drinks.  These will usually have "peanut" in their name, so they should be easy to avoid.

While satay and pineapple fried rice are commonly found in Thai or Malaysian places, be aware these can show up in other restaurants as well.  For instance, a  French Vietnamese place near me serves satay as an appetizer alongside more traditional French dishes.  Their spring rolls (a type of eggroll) also come with satay sauce for dipping.

A few Chinese dishes will contain peanuts.  Most of them will actually have "peanut" in their name - like "peanut chicken", so it's easy to pick those out.  Kung pao dishes (kung pao chicken, kung pao shrimp, etc.) is a popular dish that contains peanuts, so stay away from that.  Again, always ask the restaurant.  Sweet & Sour Chicken/Pork doesn't usually contain peanuts, but I've seen a few places serve it that way.

I can't think of any  Japanese dishes that have peanuts in them.  When I was in Japan, I didn't find much of peanut-anything, so you should be mostly safe.

Same goes for Indian and Middle Eastern - they're mainly about the spices, not nuts.  

You shouldn't let your allergy keep you from trying new foods.  Most restaurants are very aware of common food allergies, such as peanuts or shellfish, and their staff should be able to not just help you find something you can eat, but something you'll also like.  I'm seeing more and more menus starting to list allergy warnings as well, so the restaurants are clearly becoming more aware of this.

Edit:  Doh!  I forgot about oil!  Peanut oil is still used a lot even if the food doesn't use whole peanuts.  However, peanut oil is also high in calories and fat, and many restaurants are switching to healthier oils but be sure to ask when ordering any fried food at an Asian restaurant!