A clarification about gluten following a press article (SudInfo), May 2025
First of all, our warm thanks to the journalists and editorial team for the recent article about La Corte Segreta in Sudinfo (May 2025) and La nouvelle Gazette. Seeing our work featured in the press is always a source of great pride and welcome recognition.
Link to the article: https://www.sudinfo.be/id991520/article/2025-05-01/casteau-salvatore-est-lun-des-seuls-pizzaioli-en-belgique-qui-utilise-une-farine
That said, we would like to make an important clarification about a point raised in the article concerning people with gluten sensitivities eating our pizzas.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a naturally occurring protein found in cereals such as wheat, spelt, rye and barley. It gives dough elasticity, allowing it to rise during baking and stay soft. It also keeps the dough from breaking like a rusk.
Although we use flours such as wholemeal flour (which are better for digestive health), these flours still naturally contain gluten, because they come from wheat grains.
How do we work our dough to make it easier to digest and more accessible to some people with various sensitivities?
We do not remove the gluten, but we do everything we can to reduce its effect on digestion, particularly for people who are sensitive to it.
Here is our approach:
We mainly use flours such as wholemeal flour. They contain more fibre and minerals, which naturally slow the body’s absorption of gluten.
This type of flour has a lower glycaemic index, which means it releases sugars more slowly into the body.
The result? The body does not respond with a sudden insulin spike: insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. This allows for more stable digestion, fewer cravings after the meal and a feeling of fullness that lasts longer.
We leave our dough to rest for more than 24 hours. This long rest activates natural enzymes that begin to "pre-digest" the gluten: they partially break it down, making it less harsh on some sensitive digestive systems.
But it is important to remember that gluten is still present. Our pizzas are not suitable for people with serious gluten-related problems.
What we have noticed, and what makes us very happy, is that several customers with gluten sensitivities have been able to enjoy our pizzas without discomfort. We are grateful for this valuable feedback, but we cannot make it a general rule.
We hope these few lines have helped clarify the situation. Once again, our heartfelt thanks to the journalist and the whole team for the article. This is simply a small clarification, in keeping with our commitment to you.
And, as always, it will be a pleasure to share our food with you from 18:00 tonight at La Corte Segreta.