Low FODMAP and lactose-free fondue, raclette and fondue chinoise
As soon as the weather turns cold, the fondue pot comes out again in many homes, joined over the festive season by the raclette grill or a pot of broth for fondue chinoise. If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), these evenings often come with a slight sense of unease. The cheese is usually not the problem, because long-matured cheese such as Gruyère or raclette contains practically no lactose. The trouble is more likely to come from the garlic clove in the pot, the ready-made stock, the sauces and all the bread that adds up over an evening like this. Here’s what you can do differently for all three dishes.
Lactose-free, low FODMAP cheese fondue
A classic moitié-moitié fondue is made with Gruyère and Vacherin, white wine, a little cornflour, a dash of kirsch and a garlic clove for rubbing the inside of the pot. Most of these ingredients are no problem if you have IBS.
It matures for at least five months, which makes it naturally lactose-free. You can use it as usual.
Vacherin is matured for a shorter time, and ready-made mixes vary a lot. Check whether the packet says ‘lactose-free’ and whether garlic appears in the ingredients list.
A glass (150 ml) counts as low FODMAP, and some of the alcohol cooks off in the pot.
Both contain practically no FODMAPs.
Garlic is rich in fructans, and these dissolve in the wine. It’s better to rub the pot with garlic-infused oil or use a garlic replacer.
Wheat contains fructans, and at 150 to 200 g of bread per person, they soon add up. Better options are spelt sourdough, gluten-free bread or potatoes boiled in their skins.
Cornichons, pineapple and potatoes are low FODMAP. Silverskin onions are best left out.
Replacing garlic
The fructans in garlic dissolve in water but not in oil. So an oil infused with garlic carries the flavour but not the FODMAPs. Instead of a clove, rub the pot with a teaspoon of Fody Garlic Infused Olive Oil.
If you want more garlic flavour, stir half a teaspoon of FreeFOD Garlic Replacer into the wine. One teaspoon is roughly equal to one clove, and the powder also dissolves in liquid.
Which bread for fondue?
On a fondue night, it’s easy to eat more bread than usual. Wheat bread contains fructans, which many people tolerate well in small amounts, but not in these quantities. Better choices are:
- Spelt sourdough bread. According to Monash University, a normal serving is low FODMAP if it is a genuine, long-fermented sourdough.
- Gluten-free bread. Usually low FODMAP, as long as it contains no inulin or apple fibre.
- Potatoes boiled in their skins. Known as Gschwellti, they’re served with fondue in many Swiss families anyway, and potatoes are low FODMAP.
If you’d rather stick to ordinary bread, FODZYME may help. More on that below.
Lactose-free, low FODMAP raclette
Raclette is the easiest of the three. According to Raclette Suisse, raclette cheese is naturally lactose-free, because the cultures completely break down the milk sugar over at least three months of maturing. So you usually don’t need a special lactose-free raclette cheese, and other varieties often say ‘naturally lactose-free’ on the pack. Potatoes are low FODMAP too. The main things to watch are the sides and seasonings.
Good choices
- Potatoes boiled in their skins or baked in the oven
- Cornichons (small pickled gherkins)
- Cured ham, Bündnerfleisch (air-dried beef) or bacon without garlic
- Courgettes, peppers and cherry tomatoes in small amounts
- Oyster mushrooms
- Pineapple
- Paprika, pepper, herbs or a low FODMAP seasoning such as Fody Lemon & Herb
Best left out, or just a little
- Silverskin onions, which are rich in fructans
- Button mushrooms, which contain the sugar alcohol mannitol
- Pears, which are high in fructose and sorbitol
- Sweetcorn in larger amounts
- Ready-made raclette seasonings with garlic or onion powder
Making your own broth for fondue chinoise
For fondue chinoise, thin slices of meat are cooked in hot broth at the table. The meat, rice and potatoes contain no FODMAPs. The tricky part is the broth, because ready-made stocks for fondue chinoise almost always contain onion, garlic, leek or celery. Making your own takes half an hour. A good base is a certified low FODMAP stock such as Massel Beef Style Stock or Massel Vegetable Stock, both free from onion and garlic, vegan and gluten-free. There’s more about stock in the article Which stock is suitable for a low FODMAP diet?
Recipe: low FODMAP broth for fondue chinoise
INGREDIENTS
- 2 litres water
- 2 tbsp (about 12 g) Massel Beef Style Stock Powder or Vegetable Stock Powder
- 100 ml dry white wine (optional)
- 2 carrots, sliced
- the dark green leaves of 1 leek, cut into rings
- 1 piece of ginger (about 3 cm), sliced
- 1 star anise, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp FreeFOD Onion Replacer (optional)
- 600 to 800 g meat, very thinly sliced (beef, veal or chicken)
METHOD
- Bring the water to the boil and stir in the stock powder.
- Add the carrots, leek greens, ginger, spices and wine, and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce and onion replacer, and season with salt and pepper. Strain out the spices if you like.
- Pour the broth into the fondue pot and keep it just below boiling point over the burner. Cook the meat in it a few slices at a time.
- To finish, serve the broth, now even richer from the meat, as a soup with a few rice noodles.
Serve with: rice, oven-baked potatoes or chips, green salad, cucumber and carrots.
Sauces without garlic or onion
Shop-bought fondue sauces such as garlic, curry or cocktail sauce almost always contain garlic or onion powder. Homemade versions take just five minutes. For the base, use a mayonnaise without garlic (check the ingredients list) or, for something lighter, half mayonnaise and half lactose-free yoghurt.
Garlic sauce
4 tbsp mayonnaise, 2 tbsp lactose-free yoghurt, ½ tsp FreeFOD Garlic Replacer or 1 tbsp Fody Garlic Infused Olive Oil, chives, salt and pepper
Curry sauce
4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp curry powder without garlic or onion, 1 tsp maple syrup and a few drops of lemon juice
Cocktail sauce
4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp tomato purée, 1 tsp maple syrup, a splash of cognac or lemon juice and a pinch of paprika
Herb sauce
Fody Garden Herb Salad Dressing on its own as a dip, or mixed half and half with lactose-free yoghurt
If you like a bit of heat, serve Fody Salsa Verde or Medium Salsa straight from the jar.
White wine, black tea or kirsch?
In Switzerland, there’s a long-standing rule that fondue goes with white wine or black tea. University Hospital Zurich put this to the test in 2010 with 20 healthy adults, who ate cheese fondue with either white wine or black tea, followed by kirsch or water. With alcohol, the stomach digested the fondue much more slowly, but this did not lead to more symptoms such as bloating, burping or heartburn (Heinrich et al., BMJ 2010). However, the study looked at healthy people, not people with IBS.
A glass of white wine (150 ml) is low FODMAP, but alcohol can irritate the gut in its own right. Green tea, peppermint tea and black tea that isn’t too strong are low FODMAP. Strong black tea, fennel tea and chamomile tea contain more FODMAPs.
Well tolerated
- A glass of white wine (150 ml)
- Green tea and peppermint tea
- Black tea, not too strong
- Water, still or sparkling
Less suitable
- Strong black tea
- Fennel and chamomile tea
FODMAP stacking on fondue night
A fondue or raclette evening often lasts two to three hours. Over that time, lots of small portions that you tolerate well on their own can add up. This is called FODMAP stacking. Eat slowly, take breaks, and really go easy on ingredients such as peppers or courgettes, which are only low FODMAP in small amounts.
FODZYME for bread and garlic sauce
If you don’t want to give up ordinary bread or a proper garlic sauce, FODZYME can help. According to the manufacturer, the enzyme powder breaks down fructans (from wheat, garlic and onions, for example), GOS and lactose while they’re still in the food.
It doesn’t work on polyols, such as those in button mushrooms, or on fructose. FODZYME is not suitable for people with hereditary fructose intolerance.
For when you’re out and about, or for fondue at a restaurant, there’s the FODZYME On-the-go Kit. You’ll find more on how to use it in the FODZYME FAQ.
How to use it with fondue
- Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon (0.75 g) over the bread cubes on your plate just before eating.
- Don’t add it to the hot fondue pot or the boiling broth, because heat destroys the enzymes.
- If you’re still eating after 30 minutes, sprinkle on another dose.
Shopping list for your fondue night
Massel Beef Style Stockfor the fondue chinoise broth
Massel Vegetable Stockthe vegan option
FreeFOD Garlic Replacerfor fondue and sauces
FreeFOD Onion Replacergives the broth more flavour
Fody Garlic Oilfor rubbing the fondue pot
FODZYME On-the-gofor bread and sauces
Fody Garden Herbas a herb dip
Fody Salsa Verdefor fondue chinoise
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat cheese fondue if I have IBS?
In most cases, yes. Gruyère and raclette cheese are naturally lactose-free. The garlic clove and the amount of bread are what to watch. With garlic-infused oil instead of a clove, and spelt sourdough, gluten-free bread or potatoes boiled in their skins, your fondue will be low FODMAP.
Is cheese fondue lactose-free?
A fondue made with long-matured cheese such as Gruyère AOP is practically lactose-free. Vacherin is matured for a shorter time, and ready-made mixes vary. So look for the words ‘lactose-free’ on the pack. In Switzerland you can also buy ready-made fondues labelled this way.
Is raclette cheese lactose-free?
Yes. According to Raclette Suisse, the cultures completely break down the milk sugar over at least three months of maturing, whether the cheese is made from raw or pasteurised milk.
Which broth works for fondue chinoise if you have IBS?
A homemade broth made with a certified low FODMAP stock such as Massel, plus carrots, leek greens, ginger and spices. Ready-made broths for fondue chinoise usually contain onion and garlic.
Why do I get stomach ache after fondue?
Fondue is a large meal and very high in fat, which slows down digestion. With IBS, fructans from bread and garlic often add to this, along with alcohol. Adjust these things and you’ll often find fondue much easier to tolerate.
What can I drink with fondue on a low FODMAP diet?
A glass of white wine, green tea, peppermint tea or black tea that isn’t too strong. Strong black tea, fennel tea and chamomile tea contain more FODMAPs.
Please note: This article does not replace advice from a doctor or dietitian. How much you can tolerate varies from person to person. You’ll find portion sizes in the Monash University FODMAP app, and the basics in the article What are FODMAPs?
Sources: Monash University, Fermented foods and FODMAPs · Monash University, tea test results · Raclette Suisse, Raclette is lactose-free · Le Gruyère AOP, Health · Heinrich et al., BMJ 2010;341:c6731
Photo: Vitalii Kyktov on Unsplash
