Gluten-Free Eaters Can Still Have Glutinous Rice. Here's Why

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English is a funny language sometimes, especially when it comes to the food we enjoy. One of the more confusing examples is glutinous rice which, despite what it sounds like, is completely gluten-free.

The word "glutinous" actually comes from the Latin word "glutinosus," which means "viscous" or "gluey" — anything with a sticky, glue-like consistency can be described as glutinous. "Glutinous" and "glutenous" might be homophones, but their meanings are critically distinct. The protein network called gluten takes its name from the same Latin root because of its sticky, elastic properties, which is how the two similar words came to be. That means that while gluten is indeed glutinous, the word "glutinous" doesn't mean that a food contains gluten.

Rice never naturally contains gluten, no matter the variety. That means white rice, brown rice, glutinous rice, and every other sort of rice is safe to eat for people with celiac disease or who are trying to cut gluten out of their diets. Sometimes, rice can be cross-contaminated with grains that actually contain gluten, like wheat or barley, if they're grown in the same place or processed in the same facility. Also, sometimes rice products contain gluten, like a box of Ben's Original Long Grain & Wild Rice Fast-Cook Recipe, which contains orzo pasta. If you can't eat gluten, it's important to read the label on any rice products before you buy them.

Glutinous rice is used in tons of recipes, especially in Asian cuisine, which also means that all these dishes can be made gluten-free if they aren't already. Thai mango sticky rice, for example, is made only with glutinous rice, coconut cream, and mangoes as the main ingredients, none of which contain gluten. Mochi, a traditional Japanese dessert, is a sticky cake made with dough from pounded glutinous rice. Champorado, a breakfast favorite from the Philippines, is a chocolate porridge that uses glutinous rice to get the proper texture. These are just a handful of the hundreds of treats made from the stuff.

The gluten-free options aren't just limited to sweets, either. Glutinous rice flour is often used to make delightfully chewy noodles for savory dishes, dumplings, fluffy pancakes, and even some gluten-free breads. Glutinous rice, in general, is a versatile ingredient that gluten-free eaters shouldn't miss out on, especially if the only thing holding them back is a pair of confusing words — adding it to your pantry means adding more gluten-free recipes to your repertoire.