Vegan Cuisines

Eating out at restaurants is a joyous experience, especially as a way to celebrate with friends and family. It can be frustrating when you look at the menu, only to see a house salad, roasted vegetables, and perhaps some soup among vegan-friendly options. Unfortunately, meat is considered a delicacy, as well as a necessity, meaning that restaurants routinely use animal products within their dishes.

Due to religious, historical, or cultural differences, many international cuisines are at least in part vegan-friendly. Here is a list of five cuisines that primarily use plant-based ingredients, with some altogether forgoing animal products:

1. Ethiopian
Half of Ethiopians belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, meaning that on Wednesdays and Fridays, eating animal products is forbidden¹. This translates to a diverse range of vegan dishes, including misir wot, a red lentil stew, and shiro, a curry made from ground chickpeas. Meals are often eaten with injera, a spongy flatbread that soaks up the flavor of accompanying stews and soups.

2. Japanese
Although people strongly associate Japanese food with fish-based dishes like sushi and sashimi, this cuisine uses a broad range of vegetables. There are an infinite amount of ways to cook up a stir fry or spring rolls. Japan is also the home of tofu, an ingredient that opens up a world of flavor. Luckily, many desserts are vegan, too, including mochi, dango, and taiyaki.²

3. Levantine
The Levant spreads from the Mediterranean across the Middle East, and it is home to a wonderful selection of vegan foods. There are many salad based options to choose from, including tabouleh, fatoush, and raheb. Beans, rice, and lentils comprise many dishes, as well as chickpeas–think of falafel and hummus.³

4. Indian
Possibly the cuisine best-known for its plant-based dishes on this list, India is a large subcontinent with many subcultures, many of which are known for their vegetarian and vegan dishes. Northern India is primarily Hindu, a religion whose followers are traditionally vegetarian. The range of vegan food is extensive, and many restaurants now use vegan alternatives to butter and ghee, further expanding culinary options.

5. Vegan Cuisine
Rapidly expanding in popularity, vegan restaurants often substitute meat for plant-based options in common dishes like shawarma, hamburgers, tacos, and more. Some offer a more specialized menu, only serving vegan versions of a specific cuisine, while others have a broad array of options.

Even if the experience of going to a restaurant centers around the people you’re going with, there’s nothing quite like opening the menu to see a whole list of vegan options. In addition, it’s always great to support local businesses and restaurants. Bon appetit.

¹https://vegnews.com/what-is-injera-guide-vegan-ethiopian-food

²https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/shopping/best-vegan-desserts-and-snacks-in-japan

³https://bestofvegan.com/culture-tuesday-an-exploration-of-levantine-cuisine/