Diversity makes all the difference.

29/08/2026 – 04/09/2026  By Uwe Heitkamp

Edition 34.2026

Just as some people can be allergic to wheat as a foodstuff, I am equally allergic to the political campaigns of fascist groups such as the Portuguese Chega, the German AfD and the French Rassemblement National. Today, I am focusing on wheat as a foodstuff. According to Foodwatch, the non-profit organisation that independently analyses food, “wheat is one of the most important cereals for the production of bread and baked goods”. As far as Portugal is concerned, I would argue that a large proportion of the population subsists exclusively on wheat, whether in the form of white bread, bread rolls, pasta or other foodstuffs from the bakery and confectionery sectors. It is the excellent baking properties resulting from wheat’s high gluten content – a protein found in the grain – that ensure it produces a good, light dough rather than just a firm flatbread.

However, gluten also has a negative side. It can trigger or even exacerbate inflammation in the body. People who are intolerant to wheat or gluten may not even realise it. They fall ill, feel unwell, but do not link the symptoms to their eating habits. Instead, they go to the doctor, who then prescribes medication to treat the inflammation. They often notice this when a wound fails to heal and keeps reopening, in the mucous membranes of the nose, in swelling of the feet, in the joints, and so on. Gluten, the binding protein, acts like a food that nourishes you but does not do you any good. This is because, in our western societies, we consume far too many products made from wheat. We should therefore change our eating habits.

Apart from wheat, the most common cereals in our part of the world are spelt, rye and oats, as well as rice, maize, barley and millet. Somewhat less well-known are amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat. Botanically speaking, these last three varieties are not classified as cereals; however, due to their nutritional content and processing method, they are generally regarded as such in commercial terms and, because of their origin, are also referred to as ‘pseudo-cereals’.

Foodwatch writes: “Despite its name, buckwheat is, strictly speaking, not a cereal at all, but a genus of plants belonging to the family known as the ‘knotweed family’. Buckwheat originates from eastern Central Asia and was brought to Europe by the Mongols during their migrations in the fourteenth century. It still exhibits distinct characteristics of a wild plant today. Buckwheat is now a staple food of great importance, particularly throughout Asia, as well as in Ukraine and Russia, but is also cultivated in North America, Central and Western Europe.”

The bakery sections of supermarkets in Portugal are struggling to cope with this issue. ECO123 has tested various supermarkets and found that there is no fresh ‘gluten-free’ bread available there. However, on three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – you can order and buy freshly baked, gluten-free bread and other fine baked goods for the breakfast table at Hanni Hansen’s bakery in Poço Barreto, near Silves. The bakery has been operating in the Algarve region for more than 30 years and specialises in offering customers bread made from a wide variety of grains. Its opening hours take a bit of getting used to. On these three days of the week, the bakery opens at 2 pm and stays open until 10 pm.

The bakery supplies the Intermarché in Lagoa, as well as a number of organic shops in the Algarve, such as ‘Die Bank’ in Marmelete. And just as a colourful life is made up of diversity, so too is democracy made up of a diverse range of parties that stand for election and compete with one another to govern a country. And if they are not elected, they find themselves in opposition. I am against one-party rule, especially when it comes to fascists, because the bread they bake is monotonous and inhumane. We should agree that we humans are all equal yet different, and respect one another’s rights and duties. For anyone who simply wants to add a bit more variety to their diet, it’s worth giving buckwheat a try. Gluten-free bread is, so to speak, an integral part of our democratic diet. Bom apetite.

https://www.foodwatch.org/en/foodwatch-international