Eating Japanese food with allergies

Japanese guides by allergen

Each guide covers typical dishes, what to ask, and where the allergen hides.

• Japanese food with coeliac disease — Nearly all Japanese savoury cooking passes through soy sauce, and standard Japanese soy sauce is brewed with wheat — so gluten-free Japanese food depends on whether the kitchen stocks tamari and uses it consistently, not on which dish you pick.
• Japanese food with a soy allergy — Soy allergy is the hardest constraint in a Japanese restaurant, because soy sauce, miso and dashi-plus-soy seasoning form the base layer of the cuisine rather than an optional topping — expect to build a meal from salt-grilled and plain-rice dishes.
• Japanese food with a fish allergy — Fish in Japanese cooking is not only the protein but the seasoning: dashi made from dried bonito underlies most soups, simmered dishes, sauces and dressings, so a fish allergy needs the stock question answered before the menu one.
• Japanese food with a crustacean allergy — In a Japanese kitchen the crustacean risk is concentrated in the fryer and on the sushi board: tempura prawns share oil with vegetables, and one knife cuts every roll, so the question is about equipment more than about which dishes contain shrimp.
• Japanese food with a sesame allergy — Sesame runs through Japanese cooking as a finishing note rather than a main ingredient — toasted oil added off the heat, seeds scattered at the pass, goma dressings on vegetables — which means it is frequently forgotten when staff describe a dish.

Related guides

• All cuisine guides
• All allergen and diet guides