Imagine how many different national dishes you have not yet tried and how they could diversify your usual diet! Exploring the cuisines of the world can rekindle your love of food and cooking and dazzle your taste buds with brand new flavor combinations.
But vegans should be wary of new dishes. Who knows what animal products might be hiding behind all these names of unfamiliar dishes and ingredients?
To make it easier for you, take a look at 8 vegan-friendly cuisines from around the world, thanks to which you might discover your new favorite dishes!
1. Ethiopian cuisine
Looking for a culinary adventure? Start with Ethiopian Cuisine! This cuisine is dominated by healthy dishes rich in various ingredients and flavors. Most dishes are stew-like in texture and are served with injera, a soft spongy flatbread made from teff flour. Like many traditional dishes of this cuisine, ingera is a vegan product. Atakilt Wat (potatoes, carrots and cabbage), Misir Wot (red lentil stew), Gomen (stewed greens), Fasolia (stewed green beans), Kik Alicha (stew of peas) and many others are also worthy of attention. You can also try making them at home!
Tip: In Ethiopian restaurants, you can order a vegetarian (or vegan) combo, which will give you the opportunity to try most of the dishes. And an ingera is always attached to this!
2. South Indian cuisine
South Indian food is far less reliant on animal products than North Indian food, making it easier for vegans to find the right meal for lunch in the southern part of the country. The main dishes of the region are sambar (a dish of lentils with tamarind and vegetable stew), dosa (a flatbread made from lentil and rice flour, served with filling or just like that), idli (rice cake with fermented rice and lentils) and various types of curries and traditional sauces chutney.
Tip: Some dishes may use cheese, eggs and cream. Avoid products with paneer (cheese) ingredients and check with waiters that the curries and flatbreads you ordered do not contain dairy products.
3. Mediterranean cuisine
We’ve all heard about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet – and that’s because it’s based on plant-based foods! Nothing compares to a mezze of roasted peppers, fried eggplant, tender hummus, salted olives, refreshing tabbouleh, cucumber salad and warm soft pita bread. It is these products that form the basis of the classic Mediterranean street food!
Tip: Check if the dishes contain dairy products and eggs.
4. Mexican cuisine
Beans. Vegetables. Rice. Salsa. Guacamole. And all this – on a corn tortilla. What more could you want! Mexican dishes are generally suitable for vegans. In fact, Latin American culture is helping to promote plant-based meals. In Southern California, Hispanic communities are making efforts to veganize traditional foods and are actively opening new businesses.
Tip: Some beans and flatbreads may be served with lard, although this practice is becoming increasingly rare. Rice can also be cooked with chicken broth. Remember to make sure your meals do not contain animal products.
5. Korean cuisine
“Vegan” isn’t the first association with a cuisine famous for its BBQ. However, many traditional Korean restaurants are open to new ideas and are starting to offer vegan versions of their classic dishes such as stewed tofu, mandu (steamed dumplings), japchae (fried noodles with sweet potatoes), bibimbap (crispy rice with vegetables), and panchang (small traditional Korean side dishes – kimchi, pickled daikon, mung beans and stewed potatoes). Most often, dishes are served with rice, which compensates for their spiciness.
Tip: Look for vegan sections on restaurant menus. If they are not available, check with the waiters if the dishes contain fish sauce or anchovies.
6. Southern Italian cuisine
Real Italian cuisine is very far from the meat and dairy dishes presented in most foreign “Italian” restaurants. In addition, Italian food is extremely diverse, and each region has its own cuisine. Vegans are advised to head to the south of the country and try dishes such as chambotta (vegetable stew), Pasta e Fagioli (bean pasta), minestra (soup with cabbage, leafy greens and white beans) and a roasted red pepper antipasto appetizer.
Tip: Foreign restaurants tend to add cheese to almost every Italian dish. Warn the waiter that you need a dish without cheese!
7. Burmese cuisine
Burma’s unique cuisine focuses mainly on herbal ingredients. Burma’s dishes, which include tofu-based soups, noodles and samosa, are reminiscent of Asian cuisine, but with a distinct Burmese flavor. Perhaps the most valuable dish is tea leaf salad. The base is fermented tea leaves with nuts, cabbage, tomatoes, ginger, sesame seeds and mung beans coated in butter dressing. This is a unique dish that has no analogues among other cuisines. Other dishes that are suitable for vegans are Burmese soup and salad with tofu, salad with centella and fried dough balls with vegetable filling. By the way, Burmese tofu is made from chickpeas, which gives it a firmer texture and interesting flavor.
Tip: Many Burmese dishes are made with chili paste, so be careful it can be spicy!
8. Chinese cuisine
In Keith, you can try vegan hot pot, which usually includes tofu, chinese cabbage, corn, mushrooms, kabocha, broccoli, carrots and onions, as well as a huge bowl of seasoned broth in which all ingredients will be cooked, along with various sauces and generous portion of steamed rice. This is an easy to prepare, incredibly tasty and satisfying dish.
Tip: Like Korean cuisine, Chinese cuisine is notorious for its frequent use of fish sauce. Ask your waiter for ingredients!