vegetarian countries

8/7/2019 Vegetarian countries

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Meat-free travel: vegetarian hits and misses

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Heres our pick of the perfect destinations for the best food without a face and three forvegetarians to avoid

Singapore: heaven

From hectic hawkers markets to sophisticated specialist restaurants, the Southeast Asianisland state harbours a huge number of vegetarian eateries well over 100, according to

www.happycow.net. In Singapore youll munch on the best of Asias great cuisines

Malaysian, South Indian, the varied flavours of China and specifically that blissful blend ofNyonya (or Peranakan) cooking, rich with lemongrass, tamarind, galangal and coconut milk.

Though the cuisine isnt specifically vegie, meat-free mains are nigh unbeatable order avegie laksa lemak(spicy coconut noodle soup) to reach Nyonya nirvana.

India: heaven


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Two words: thali and dosa South Indias great gifts to the world. The first is an ubiquitous

all-you-can-eat feast: a thali can range from a few simple of curry, dhal(lentils) and rice on abanana leaf to a half-dozen-plus chilli-tinged treats in special dimpled trays. The dosa is the

king of southern snacks, a rice-flour-and-lentil pancake that comes in countless varieties:paper-thin and crispy, laced with onion, packed with spiced veg and dipped in soupy lentil

sambar. In South India, carnivores are the weirdos.

San Francisco: heaven

This is the city that has hosted the World Vegetarian Festival each year for a decade, a

fantastic destination for discerning vegetarians. Partly its the result of the embedded

counterculture ethos thats simmered here for years, and partly the efforts of gastronomicpioneers such as Alice Waters in promoting respect for fresh produce. What it means for

vegies is that you can tuck into anything from a vast Mission burrito to a five-course veganAphrodisiac Dinner at stylish, inventive Millennium all without a whiff of meat.

Morocco: heaven

Wander the narrow alleys of any souk and youll realise why Moroccan food is so tongue-tingling: the carefully shaped, rainbow-hued piles of spices are dazzling. Be warned, however:

not all vegetable dishes are necessarily meat-free, and the occasional bland number crops

up, but when it hits the mark dishes such as vegie tajine (fruit-sweetened stew slow-baked in a

conical earthenware pot) or couscous can be sensational. Add spicy harira soup for kick,

olives to snack on and hummus to dip, and youre almost there. The test of a destinations

culinary credentials is bread and in Morocco, khubzis king.

Italy: heaven

Sure, its the spiritual home of pizza and pasta, but to discover Italys true culinary genius

plan a picnic. First, pick up bread soft focaccia or thin, crispy Sardinian pane fresa. Market-stall-hop for antipasto: olives, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes and peppers. Add a

lump of pecorino, taleggio or dolcelatte cheese, toss in a bottle of local red, and away you go.

And the best bit? Each region boasts divine local specialities try truffles (black in Umbria,

white in Piedmont), asparagus from the Veneto and Sicilian capers.

Lebanon: heaven

Mezze magic! Why be limited to only one or two dishes when you can load a table with

scores of finger-food portions? This admirable philosophy reaches its apotheosis in Lebanon.

Dips, grains, marinated and cooked vegetables, stuffed leaves, fried pastries and saladsgrab

some flat bread and start dunking and scooping. Our pick is baba ghanoush, humble eggplant

roasted and miraculously transformed with tahini, garlic and olive oil voila: dipping delight.

Thailand: heaven

Like San Francisco, Thailand has a vegetarian festival. Unlike San Francisco, during the

vegetarian festival on Phuket here called Kin Jay devotees stick sharp spikes through their

cheeks. Quite what that has to do with vegetarianism is debatable, but the festival is also a

chance for ethnic Chinese Thais (and lucky visitors) to munch a dizzying array of faux-meat


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dishes. The rest of the year, specifying that youd like your meal jay (vegan) ormangasawirat

(vegetarian) gets you your favourite pad thai noodles, red curry or spicy papaya salad sansanimal.

Central Asia: hell

This little-travelled region may represent the global nadir for herbivores. As a rule, dishes onthe Asian steppes and mountains feature mutton or horse. You might happen on Kazakhmanti

(steamed dumplings filled with meat), Kyrgyzbeshbarmak(boiled horsemeat with noodles),

lagman (noodles cooked in meat broth) or regional favourite plov (mutton, horsemeat or beef

fried with rice and carrots in fat). If youre vegan, forget it chances are if its not meat, its

dairy. Is it worth it? Explore ancient Silk Road cities, roam vast steppes, trace the PamirHighway, then make up your own mind.

Argentina: hell

Meat rules across South America, so picking the least veg-friendly country is tricky.Argentina gets the nod partly because of its prodigious meat consumption a whopping 70kg

per person each year. In Buenos Aires and larger cities you can dodge the ubiquitous parrillas(grill houses) and unearth some excellent vegetarian restaurants. But if you want to fall off the

wagon, this is the place for it. Pick a sharp knife, douse your carne de vaca (beef) with

chimichurri (olive oil with parsley and garlic) and get stuck in.

Germany: hell

Eating flesh-free in Europe is easyin theory. In practice, youll need to stay sharp; many

chefs still seem to believe that chicken and ham sprout in vegetable patches. But it really paysto be alert in Germany. Yes, Berlin boasts a wide selection of excellent vegetarian options in a

range of international cuisines, but all too often that pink dumpling in your soup is, yes,

bacon. Conversely, Teutonic food doesnt get the acclaim it deserves, and for carnivores its atreat. Wurst isnt just sausage its 1500 sausages, an almost infinite variety.

Every vegetarian traveller has a horror story to tell - whats yours? Or do you belong in the if

it moves, eat it category, whereby overseas travel frequently involves sampling extremecuisine? Go on, spill the beans (or should that be brains?)

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Comments

1. 27noiembrie 20099:28PMicantfindone Report this commentMorocco's bread is fantastic, but Man does not live on bread (and olives) alone. Thereality in Morocco is that a vegetarian will live on salads, french fries, and bread.

Outside of places that see tourists, Morocco is far from a vegetarian's paradise. The


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concept is totally foreign. Vegetarian dishes often mean that the bits of meat are

picked out for you.

2. 28 noiembrie 2009 11:23AMgiuri Report this commentI'm not a vegetarian, but I think basically the whole American continent is hell for

them south of the Rio Grande

3. 28 noiembrie 2009 11:59AMmartin2008Report this commentI agree with the first ones, yes South India is a vegetarian area of the world (whether

Western / Chinese vegetarians like local South Indian depends on their tastes as South

Indian food is sort of like monk food, religious and free from garlic too)

I disagree with Germany being on the Hell list...the reason being I went to Hamburg

and they have a lot more vegetarian snacks in the streets /railwaystration (such as brie

cheese sandwiches and spinach pizza slices) than in most other European countries.

Germany also has quite a few frozen veggie products in their supermarkets compared

with the Scandinavian countries up north of Germany....but of course England is theVegetarian strongold of Europe with tons of soya-meat products and ethnic restaurants

hehe

4. 29 noiembrie 2009 6:36AMmj42Report this commentSwitzerland and Poland both have some very good veggie restaurants, and Spanish

restaurants often do all-you-can-eat buffets with plenty of vegetarian choices. Norway

and Sweden are pretty bad - fish with everything - but the worst of the lot has got to be

France. I know of one very good veggie restaurant there (Poeles de Carottes in

Strasbourg) and one fairly good one (Le Petit Legume in Paris) but it pretty much the

whole of the rest of the country the concept of vegetarianism is completely alien.

Best veggie restaurant I've ever been to, though, is Harmonija in Skopje. It's tucked

away in the basement of a nondescript shopping centre in a quiet side street and if it

hadn't been mentioned in LP I'd never have found it, but it's a fantastic place.

5. 29 noiembrie 2009 10:14AMrlissnerReport this commentBeing a vegetarian in Israel is extremely easy and I am surprised it's not on this list

(although Lebanon is close enough). Because of religious reasons, a good chunk of

restaurants serve only meat or no meat at all, make it quite easy to find a strictly

vegetarian restaurant. Plus Levantine food in general (a la Lebanon) is often

vegetarian.

I'd say Iceland is one of the more difficult places to be vegetarian, at least

economically speaking. Since they have to import all of their produce, buying some

vegetarian snacks to compensate for meals still adds up quite quickly. It is possible to

have a completely vegetarian experience in Reykjavik because there is a surprising

amount of vegetarian places there.


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And since you singled out San Francisco, I'd definitely say to consider Toronto. The

cuisine is as diverse as imaginable and there is an annual vegetarian festival, too. Youcan easily get Singaporean, Thai, Moroccan, Indian, Italian, and Lebanese food here

with no problem.

6. 29 noiembrie 2009 12:04PMmia_in_london Report this commentI'd list Thailand as 'hell' unless you're ok with fish sauce in everything.

You can get amazing shojin ryori meals in Japan - two of the best (vegetarian) meals

of my life were in Tokyo. People may prepare special meals for you - but remind them

not to garnish the dish with fish as the habit is hard to break.

Vietnam is brilliant for vegetarians. Laos was also surprisingly good. I've only spent a

few days in Cambodia but it was a bit meh.

Germany - well, I've eaten an awful lot of Italian, Turkish and Indian meals in

Germany. East African restaurants are also good. To be fair, most of Europe can be

pretty hard going for vegetarians.

I found Morocco quite frustrating. It's really difficult to be sure that a dish doesn't

contain meat, and options are so limited that I quickly got bored.

Azerbaijan restaurants can be a lifesaver in places like Russia, with super tasty

vegetarian options.

I think Melbourne and Sydney are at least as good as San Francisco for vegetarians.

7. 29 noiembrie 2009 1:55PMyukitan Report this commentAnother vote against Morocco, the "veggie" tajine is often prepared with bones as a

base for the stock.

Cambodia had quite a few veg options and some of the best green curry I've ever had.

Do be careful in Japan, besides the ever present bonito flakes, you should specify thatyour food be prepared with no meat or fish stock (dashi) as well as list the varieties of

meat you'd like to do without. Bacon is often considered a garnish, not a meat.

8. 30 noiembrie 2009 6:27AMtalesfromthehaolife Report this commentTrying to find vegetarian food in airports in the USA is by far the worst time I've hadas a veggie on the go. Even in places like L.A., where veggie food abounds in the city,

the airport was a sea of meat-products.

9. 30 noiembrie 2009 12:40PMemmamcm Report this commentOutback Australia: Hell Unless you know bushtucker plants and/or can survive on

chips alone. Chiko Roll anyone?


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10.1 decembrie 20095:26AMbd081098Report this commentI traveled to Spain last year and it was a challenge. Noticed a lot of restaurants

advertising jamon (ham). I've been a vegan for over nine years but had to conceded toeating things I'm pretty sure were not when there. I didn't eat meat, dairy or eggs per

se; but did eat things like croissants that most likely had some dairy. This probably

explains why I returned to the U.S. a few pounds lighter. I did find an actual salad barin Madrid but the vegetables were a bit on the wilted side.

11.1 decembrie 2009 11:45AMrose_m Report this commentSpain is really hard. Jamon with everything. I spent weeks surviving on chips and

asparagus. When I got to Barcelona I went to the Mercat de la Bouqeria and there wasa stall heaped with fresh rocket and I almost fell on my knees in front of it.

12.3 decembrie 2009 4:08AMhercules Report this commentWho comes up with these lists? They must not be vegetarian. I nearly starved to death

in Thailand, they are NOT veg friendly, apart from the once yearly festival mentioned.Cambodia was much easier.

Argentina was extremely easy to find veg food, as is Germany (as long as you stay in

the cities). Spain isn't that easy, nor is Italy. Unless you know for certain that the

cheese they use is rennet-free, then pizza, etc. is useless. For those of you not in the

know, rennet is a by-product they use in cheese, which comes from animal stomachs.

Unless the cheese specifically states that they use microbial (vegetarian) rennet, thenyou are eating corpse.

13.7decembrie 2009 4:41AMowerram Report this commentIf anyone visits Trivandrum, Kerala you should visit the Arya Nivas near to the

railway station for super Masala Dosha, you will love it.

14.8 decembrie 2009 11:57PMcolino Report this commentAt home I am a strict vegetarian but on my travels I have to admit to letting mystandards slip. I don't transform into a carnivorous beast stuffing the first bacon buttie

that passes my radar, it's just that I have to be a little bit pragmatic about the food and

its veggie credentials.

At first I used to get stressed out about finding 100% veggie restaurants in the middle

of nowhere. I now relax a lot more and will eat some thing that is "meat-free" withoutinterrogating the poor waiter about its hidden ingredients.

Whilst it works most of the time the mishaps do happen. For example the delicious

tomato soup we had in Cambrils, Spain where lurking in the bottom like a deep sea

creature was a lump of Black Pudding (or Blood Pudding). I obviously stopped eating

and politely left it saying I was full.

At the end of the day life's too short to worry about it. We can only do our best.


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We didn't have to try too hard in India though. It's certainly the Number One

Vegetarian Heaven.

15.30 decembrie 2009 4:43PMreviewers10Report this commentindian vegan food is much much more than only south indian dishes, for eg : the sheer

inventiveness of bengali/marathi/rajasthani/gujrati ( and i am sure elsewhere in thecountry) vegan food is a revelation if only you know what to look for ....vegan food is

linked to our religion and other ancient traditions and isnt a life style fad therefore its

long and enduring and very evolved and not limited to any specific region only....

16.2 ianuarie 2010 6:16PMfuzzyturtle11 Report this commentI am surprised that Indonesia did not make this list. Tofu, tempeh, and veggie dishes

were some of the cheapest and most delicious i've had. Since i usually cooked my

dinner at hostels while i was traveling in europe, i was pleasantly surprised by the

amount of organic, non-gmo soya products available in grocery stores in south-west

germany, northern italy, and slovakia (bratislava specifically). If i did eat at a

restaurant, most 'vegetarian' options consisted of cheese or were totally drowning incheese. I am usually vegan at home, but my european diet was basically cheese, bread,

fruit, yogourt, and chocolate. I am going to have to agree with Colino; if you are

veggie/vegan you might want to relax your standards a little bit and not obsess about

every hidden animal product in order to have a more pleasant holiday. I should also

add that vancouver is an excellent veggie city and restaurants are very accomodatingto vegan requests!

17.27ianuarie 2010 4:09PMore0cookies Report this commentPhilippines is very hard for veggies, the staple is bbq meat (oh yes) and white rice.

There are a couple of gems (check out happycow.com) and a fantastic vegan kebabwith spicy roast potatoes in Dumaguete's "Boston Cafe". These places however, are

few and very far between.

If you can find accommodation with a kitchen (Citadel Alona Inn in Pangloa is a

brilliant cheap, clean option) stock up on fresh veg from the market or local "surry

surry" store and get cooking - it really is the best way to eat in Philippines (even the

bread here has lard in it!).

Alternatively stay with a Philippino family...we've enjoyed a multitude of vegandelights the past couple of days..."adobo" made with green beans and "magic meat"

(Philippino TVP/Soya chunks), "lumpia" spring rolls and "puncit" fried noodles . Eat

this stuff anywhere else without doubt you'll find bits of meat and fish lurking aroundespecially as most local meals are pre-cooked.

18.31 ianuarie 2010 4:09PMnamyangjubadger Report this commentSouth Korea = hell

There is no word for vegetarian in the Korean language. All dishes center around

meat. Try to order something without meat and it will show up with some other kind


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of meat in it. I've also ordered a veggie dish and had a waitress refuse to serve it to me

b/c she didn't think it was any good and gave me a pot of beef instead.

Absolute veggie hell. Perhaps the few Buddhist restaurants saved it from this list.

19.2 februarie 20109:30PMcianjbReport this commentEthiopia is heaven for veggies. For Ethiopian Christians (about half the population,

depending on who you ask) fasting means abstaining from animal products, and

Wednesday, Friday and a whole host of feast days are all compulsory fasting days. For

vegetarians, just say you're fasting every time you order - they'll be impressed at your

devoutness, and you'll be stuffed!

20.2 februarie 2010 11:23PMdurvasi Report this commentMorocco is certainly not a vegetarian's paradise! I was eating bread and olives,

tomatoes and avocado most of the time. Cous-cous is always cooked with meat, even

if they don't put the meat in your plate.There are certain traditional soups without meat

but they are difficult to come across in the little eateries you find when travelling.Curiously, in an expensive restaurant in Fes they served a lot of delicious vegetarian

dishes as an aperitif before the meal but they were not part of the menu.

21.3 februarie 2010 12:04AMrlissnerReport this commentBeing a vegetarian in Morocco, Spain, and Buenos Aires is a joke.

When I travelled in Morocco, I drank orange juice and ate about five types of bread on

a daily basis. The only time I had a satisfying vegetarian meal (as in a meal and not a

hodgepodge of foods) was when I stayed at someone's house and they prepared a

vegetarian tajine for me.

Barcelona and Buenos Aires has ham in everything and it is definitely a challenge to

find a good vegetarian meal. I went to one vegetarian restaurant in Barcelona and was

so disappointed.

Here in Buenos Aires, there are a handful of vegetarian restaurants, which I am so, sothankful for, but vegetarian meals at non-veggie restaurants are pretty miserable.

While I can't vouch for the Argentine meat, I have to admit that the rest of the food

here is pretty insipid. The ice cream, however, is by far the best on this side of the

world.

22.3 februarie 20103:59PMaleerak14 Report this comment"Who comes up with these lists? They must not be vegetarian. I nearly starved to

death in Thailand, they are NOT veg friendly" from Hercules

Not true! I have been to Thailand many, many times and have no problem eatingvegetarian there.


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My tip is to get a local to write in Thai: "I am a vegetarian. I don't eat meat. I don't eat

fish. No fish sauce. No shrimp paste." on a piece of paper and show it to the staff atthe restaurant you are at. They are usually very accommodating...

There are many vegetarian/veggo friendly restaurants in Thailand. Cabbages and

Condoms in Bangkok is one of my favourites and I visit it every time I'm in Bangkok.

There's also a street vendor in Soi Rambutri (near Khao San Road) that does a vastarray of vegetarian meals for 30 baht. My last day there I tried 3 different dishes thatwere all vegetarian and tasted delicious!

23.4 februarie 2010 11:57PM1cinnamon Report this commentFrance = Hell, Germany = Heaven

France is clearly hell, especially for non-French speakers seeking vegetarian food in

this non-veg paradise. With the exception of Asian/African quarters (such as the one

close to the Paris Gare du Nord), it is almost impossible to get anything vegetarian.

The haute cuisine restaurants are of course out of the question as they will dismiss you

with their suave french.. searching for a veggie sandwich will bring you as muchsuccess in France as on the moon. Even at the Pizza joints, you get no deal, unless you

find an Italian (boss or worker), who can sympathize with your dietary limitation.

Germany, in comparison is heaven. There's tonnes of Turkish joints (not to mention

the pizza places and asian eateries) and it appears that even the (trendy) locals don't

mind going veggie occasionally.. also, most city-centre places sport a veggie dish on

the menu cards.

24.2 aprilie 20107:01PMwanppin Report this commentDo you have further information for vegan?

I found it is easy to find vegetarian food, but very difficult to find vegan food when I

went travelling in Italy. They mix eggs with flour when making pasta and pizza. And

they use cuttlefish or other animal products to die their pasta.

25.13 august20103:16AMhelenatm Report this commentFrance = hell Germany= heaven

Totally agreein. It was horrible to get nice vegan food even in Paris. In Germany you

get everywhere something pretty good.

26.10 decembrie 20109:21PMdismeri Report this commentIn fact, i'm spanish and it's not so hard being a vegan here. (I've been living indifferent places in Spain). There are lots of veggie restaurants, and there are also lots

of "tapas" that are vegetarian. (The speciality almost everywhere is not "jamn", but"papas bravas" (spicy potatos) or spanish omelet or mushrooms... Of course if you go

to touristic places it will be "jamn" everywhere, that's true... But in Madrid I eat out alot and you can go for example to a vegan chinese "eat all you can" or other very


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different vegetarian places. Just one tip: try to walk a little so you can get to a less

touristic zone...

*Well, maybe on the north-west of Spain is harder to get good veggie meals...

27.23 decembrie 2010 1:37AMleslietravelReport this commentI disagree with your classification of Argentina as a vegetarian's "hell." I'm a

vegetarian and lived there for a year without major problems. There are pizza and

empanada places on every single block, and there are almost always vegetarian salads

or "diet" options on the menu. The supermarkets are ultra modern and well stocked

with vegetarian staples (including soy milanesa). I'd add Laos to the "hell" category,

since outside of tourist towns like Van Vieng vegetarianism seems to be a foreignconcept. Few people speak English, so it's hard to communicate dietary needs.

28.23 decembrie 2010 6:46AMsantafetravelerReport this commentGere is a list of vegetarian restaurants in Argentina.

http://www.happycow.net/south_america/argentina/buenos_aires/

29.22 ianuarie 2011 10:39AMd6ams Report this commentI have spent a lot of time in Germany over the last ten years and have experienced thehuge plate of boiled veggies on occasion. More often, however, I have been pleasantly

surprised by the most excellent veggie food available. And in asparagus and

mushroom season, there are few places better.

vegetarian countries

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