Vegetarian cuisine includes consumption of foods containing vegetable
protein,
vitamin B12, and other nutrients.[2][3] Food regarded as suitable for all vegetarians (including vegans) typically includes:
Edible
fungi (fresh, canned, dried or pickled). Edible fungi include
some mushrooms and cultured microfungi which can be involved in
fermentation of food (
yeasts and moulds) such as Aspergillus oryzae and Fusarium venenatum, although fungi is rarely considered non-vegetarian due to it not being a plant.
Fruit (fresh, canned, frozen, pureed, candied or
dried); derived products such as
jam and
marmalade.
Meat analogues, which mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of meat and are often used in
recipes that traditionally contained meat.
Other foods such as
seaweed-derived products such as
agar, which has the same function as animal-bone-derived
gelatin.
Beverages such as
beer,
coffee,
hot chocolate,
lemonade,
tea or
wine—although some beers and wines may have elements of animal products as fining agents including fish bladders, egg whites, gelatin and skim milk.
Foods not suitable for vegans, but acceptable for some other types of vegetarians:
Vegetarians by definition cannot consume meat or animal tissue products, with no other universally adopted change in their diet. However, in practice, compared to non-vegetarians, vegetarians on average have an increased consumption of:
This difference is observed, but is not required to be vegetarian. Nevertheless, it is relevant when considering research into the health effects of adopting a vegetarian diet. A diet consisting only of sugar candies, for example, while technically also vegetarian, would be expected to have a much different outcome for health compared to what is called "a vegetarian diet" culturally and what is most commonly adopted by vegetarians.[4] It is also important to note that overeating occurs because of a misconception of
hunger. By changing your perspective on
calories verses
nutrients, it becomes much easier to adapt to the healthier lifestyle of
vegetarianism.[5]
These are some of the most common dishes that vegetarians eat without substitution of ingredients. Such dishes include, from breakfasts to dinnertime desserts:
Numerous side dishes, such as
mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, some bread stuffing, seasoned rice, and macaroni and cheese.
Classical
Buddhist cuisine in
Asia served at
temples and
restaurants with a green sign indicating vegetarian food only near temples. Onion and garlic is not eaten in a strict Buddhist diet.
National cuisines
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Georgian cuisine contains some vegetarian dishes.
Lobio,
lobiani,
ajapsandali,
mchadi,
pkhali and
khinkali with mushroom filling are all examples of Georgian dishes that are vegetarian. Eggplant (called badrijani or badrijnis in Georgian) is used to make vegetarian dishes such as
nigvzinai badrijani (fried eggplant stuffed with walnut paste), badrijnis borani (chopped and fried eggplant), badrijnis khizilala (chopped eggplant with pomegranate seeds) and badrijani mtsvanilit (fried eggplant with fresh herbs).
In
Indonesia, vegetarianism is well served and represented, as there are plenty selection of vegetarian dishes and meat substitutes. Dishes such as
gado-gado,
karedok,
ketoprak,
pecel,
urap,
rujak and
asinan are vegetarian. However, for dishes that use
peanut sauce, such as gado-gado, karedok or ketoprak, might contains small amount of
shrimp paste for flavor. Served solely, gudeg can be considered a vegetarian food, since it consists of unripe
jackfruit and coconut milk. Fermented
soy products, such as
tempeh,
tofu and oncom are prevalent as meat substitutes, as the source of
protein. Most of Indonesians do not practice strict vegetarianism and only consume vegetables or vegetarian dishes for their taste, preference, economic and health reasons. Nevertheless, there are small numbers of Indonesian Buddhists who practice vegetarianism for religious reason.
Japanese foods such as
castella,
dorayaki,
edamame, name kojiru,
mochi,
taiyaki,
tempura, vegetable
sushi and
wagashi.
Miso soup is made from fermented white or red soy bean paste, garnished with scallions or seaweed. Although most traditional versions are made from fish stock (
dashi), it can be made with vegetable stock as well.
Korean cuisine has some dishes that are often vegetarian. One example is
bibimbap, which is rice with mixed vegetables. Sometimes this dish contains
beef or other non-vegetarian ingredients. Another Korean food which is sometimes vegetarian is
jeon, in which ingredients (most commonly vegetables and/or seafood) are coated in a flour and egg batter and then pan-fried in oil.
In Germany, Frankfurt
green sauce,
Klöße with vegetarian sauces (e.g.,
Chanterelle), cheese or vegetable stuffed
Maultaschen, combinations of
quark, spinach, potatoes and herbs provide some traditional vegetarian summer dishes. Traditionally on Fridays, southern Germany broad variety of sweet dishes may be served as a main course, such as
Germknödel and
Dampfnudel. Potato soup and
plum cake are traditional Friday dishes in the Palatinate.
Brenntar in Swabia, it is made of roasted flour, usually spelt flour or oat flour.
Russian cuisine developed a significant vegetarian tradition in czarist time, based on the example of
Leo Tolstoy.[6] The
orthodox tradition of separating meat and vegetables and as well between specific meals for
fasting and other holidays contributed to a rich variety of vegetarian dishes[6] in Russia and Slavic countries, such as soups (vegetable
borscht,
shchi,
okroshka),
pirogi,
blini,
vareniki,
kasha,
buckwheat, fermented and pickled vegetables, etc.
Egyptian cuisine in particular is rich in vegetarian foods. For reasons ranging from economics to the religious practices of the
Coptic Orthodox Church, most Egyptian dishes rely on beans and vegetables: the
national dishes,
kushari and
ful medames, are entirely vegetarian, as are usually the assorted vegetable casseroles that characterize the typical Egyptian meal.
Many dishes in
Thai cuisine can be made vegetarian if the main protein element is substituted by a vegetarian alternative such as tofu. This includes dishes such as phat khi mao and, if a vegetarian shrimp paste and fish sauce substitute is used, many
Thai curries. Venues serving vegetarian
Buddhist cuisine (ahan che;
Thai: อาหารเจ) can be found all over Thailand.
A
meat alternative or meat substitute (also called plant-based meat, mock meat, or fake meat sometimes pejoratively), is a food product made from
vegetarian or
vegan ingredients, eaten as a replacement for meat. Meat alternatives typically approximate qualities of specific types of meat, such as
mouthfeel, flavor, appearance, or chemical characteristics.[7][8][9] Plant- and fungus-based substitutes are frequently made with
soy (e.g.
tofu,
tempeh, and
textured vegetable protein), but may also be made from
wheat gluten as in
seitan,
pea protein as in the
Beyond Burger, or
mycoprotein as in
Quorn.[10] Alternative protein foods can also be made by
precision fermentation, where single cell organisms such as yeast produce specific proteins using a carbon source; as well as cultivated or laboratory grown, based on
tissue engineering techniques.[11]
Meat substitution has a long history. Tofu was invented in China as early as 200 BCE,[12] and in the
Middle Ages, chopped nuts and grapes were used as a substitute for
mincemeat during
Lent.[13] Since the 2010s, startup companies such as
Impossible Foods and
Beyond Meat have popularized pre-made plant-based substitutes for
ground beef,
patties, and
vegan chicken nuggets as commercial products.
Commercial products
Commercial products, marketed especially towards vegetarians and labeled as such, are available in most countries worldwide, in varying amounts and quality. As example, in
Australia, various vegetarian products are available in most of supermarket chains and a vegetarian shopping guide is provided by
Vegetarian/Vegan Society of Queensland.[14] However, the biggest market for commercially vegetarian-labeled foods is
India, with official governmental laws regulating the "vegetarian" and "non vegetarian" labels.
Health research
Vegetarian diets are under preliminary research for their possible effects on long-term health. Dietary patterns were evaluated along with their relationship with metabolic risk factors and metabolic syndrome.[15] A cross-sectional analysis of 773 subjects including 35% vegetarians, 16% semi-vegetarians, and 49% non-vegetarians found that a vegetarian dietary pattern is associated significantly with lower means for all metabolic risk factors except
HDL, and a lower risk of metabolic syndromes when compared to non-vegetarian diets. Metabolic risk factors include HDL,
triglycerides, glucose,
systolic blood pressure,
diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, and
body mass index. Adventist Study 2 (AHS-2) compared mean consumption of each food group for vegetarian patterns compared to non-vegetarian patterns.[4]
^
abPeter Brang. Ein unbekanntes Russland, Kulturgeschichte vegetarischer Lebensweisen von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart An ignored aspect of Russia. Vegetarian lifestyles from the very beginning till the present day. Böhlau Verlag, Köln 2002
ISBN3-412-07902-2