\n French residents who cannot digest gluten can now have a gluten-free version of the traditional Galette des Rois cake reimbursed by the state health system.\n <\/p>\n
An enterprising baker in Rouen has begun producing a gluten-free version of the Galette des Rois, which is partially reimbursed on the French health system for people who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anthony Roy, owner of Le Petit Minotier bakery based in Darn\u00e9tal, near Rouen, says he sells around 3,000 of his gluten free Galettes – made with rice flour – each year.<\/p>\n
French people traditionally eat the Galette des Rois cake on January 6th – the date marks the Christian festival of epiphany but the ritual of the Galette is widely celebrated by non-Christians.<\/p>\n
It comes with a hidden ‘f\u00e8ve<\/a>‘ that brings a year of good luck to whoever finds it, as well as lots of other fun rituals.<\/p>\n But the cake – consisting of flaky pastry and a filling of frangipane (although fruit compote or chocolate filling is also available) is out of bounds to people who cannot digest gluten.<\/p>\n People who have received a diagnosis of Celiac Disease are able to access a partial refund of gluten-free products, on the basis that they tend to be more expensive than the classic versions of the same product, creating an effective ‘illness tax’ for Celiac patients.<\/p>\n The process, however, is complicated – patients must scan the barcodes of gluten-free products using the Ameli app, and must make a claim for each product.<\/p>\n