Vegetarian cuisine

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A variety of vegetarian food ingredients.

Vegetarian cuisine is cookery of food that meets vegetarian ethical principles and health standards. In terms of lacto-ovo vegetarianism, which is the most common type of vegetarianism in the Western world, this means food which excludes ingredients for which an animal must have died, such as meat, meat broth, cheeses that use animal rennet (some vegetarians will eat all cheeses and others none, because of its milk content), gelatin (from animal skin and connective tissue), and for the strictest, even some sugars that are whitened with bone char (e.g. cane sugar, but not beet sugar).

Although not essential, certain special ingredients such as tofu and TVP have often been associated with vegetarian cuisine. Although tofu and TVP play a key role in many 'mock meat' dishes, a person can be vegetarian for life and never touch them. Closely linking vegetarianism to tofu consumption is a largely US based phenomenon.

Ignoring the different types of vegetarians (lacto-ovo vegetarianism versus veganism, for example), one can roughly divide vegetarian cuisine into two categories:

Meat analogues, which mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of meats, and are used in a recipe that traditionally contained meat. Meat analogues vary in quality and similarity to meats, and may be bought commercially or made at home.
Traditional meals that have always been vegetarian.

Many vegans will simply also use analogues for dairy and eggs in traditional Western recipes. These analogues are both commercially available and homemade from recipes. But just as lacto-ovo vegetarians might never touch meat analogues, some vegans may eat, for example, traditional Chinese or Indian dishes that were vegan before the term even came into popular usage.

1 Foods used in vegetarian cuisine
2 Cuisine that is traditionally vegetarian
- 2.1 National cuisines
- 2.2 Desserts
3 Cuisine that uses meat analogues
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Foods used in vegetarian cuisine

Food suitable for all types of the vegetarian cuisine usually consists of:

Cereals: incl. bread, pasta, rice, maize/corn, all grains, couscous, corn flakes, seitan, etc.
Legumes (main replacement for the animal products): incl. beans, soy and soy products (tofu, soy milk, TVP), chickpeas, peas, lentils, etc.
Vegetables: incl. Pickled vegetables
Fruits: incl. dried fruits
Nuts & seeds
Vegetable oils and fats
Mushrooms
Spices
Other plant foods: usually not included into above categories, such as olives, seaweeds, etc.

[edit] Cuisine that is traditionally vegetarian

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Vegetarian cuisine

These are some of the most common dishes that vegetarians eat without substitution of ingredients. Such dishes include, from breakfasts to dinnertime desserts:

Many pasta, rice, bean, potato and bulgur/cous cous dishes, stews, soups and stir fries.
Pancakes, waffles, cereals and oatmeals, French toast, granola bars, donuts, muffins
Fresh fruit and most salads
Potato salad, egg salad, baba ganoush, pita-wraps or burrito-wraps, vegetable pilafs, baked potatoes or fried potato-skins with various toppings, corn on the cob, smoothies
Many sandwiches, such as grilled cheese, and cold sandwiches including roasted eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers, cheeses, avocado and other sandwich ingredients
Many side dishes, such as mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, some bread stuffings, 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

[edit] National cuisines

Indian cuisine in Asia is replete with vegetarian dishes and vegetarian cooking has evolved as a result of many centuries of vegetarianism practiced by Brahmins in most of India and others in some regions. Also most non vegetarian Indian dishes have vegetarian equivalents.A very wide variety of Indian foods such as pakora, samosa, khichris, Pulao, raitas, rasam, bengain bharta, chana masala, some kormas, sambars, & jalfrezis, saag aloo, subji's (vegetable dishes) such as bindi subji, gobi subji, etc. Also Punjabi chole, aloo matar and much South Indian food such as dosas, idlis and vadas. Chapati and other wheat/maida based breads like Naan, Roti Parathas are often stuffed with vegetarian items to make it a self sufficient meal. Many Indian dishes qualify as vegan, though many also use yogurt, cheese, cream, or milk.
- South Indian foods like sambar,rasam,koottu,karembadu,upma,palya,kozhambu,Aviyal, Olan, Kadala curry, Theeyal, Pulingari, Chammandi, Chutney, and breads like Appam, Puttu, pathiri,dosai,idli and vadai.
Spanish foods such as tumbet and many polentas and tapas dishes
Latin American foods such as salsa & guacamole with chips, rice & bean burritos (without lard in the refried beans), many quesadillas, bean tacos, some chilaquiles and bean-pies, chili (no 'con carne'), black beans with rice, chiles rellenos, cheese enchiladas and vegetable fajitas.
Italian foods such as most pastas, many pizzas, eggplant rotini, eggplant crostini, bruschetta, many risottos

Image:Stuffed mushrooms with spiced quinoa.JPG

Continental cuisine such as ratatouille, braised leeks with olives and parsley, many quiches, sauteed Swiss chard, vegetable-stuffed mushrooms, sauteed Brussels sprouts with mushrooms and squash
Many Greek dishes, such as dolmas and spanakopita
Some Russian and Slavic dishes, such as soups (vegetable borscht, shchi, okroshka), pirogi, blini, vareniki, kasha, buckwheat, fermented and pickled vegetables, etc.
Many Ethiopian dishes
Mideastern food such as falafel, hummus dips, matzo ball soup, minted-yogurts, and couscous
Chinese (and other far-Eastern) dishes based on the main ingredients being mushroom, noodles, eggplant, string beans, broccoli, rice, tofu and/or mixed vegetables
Japanese foods such as tempura, edamame, name kojiru, and vegetable sushi; in Japan however, vegetarian often means no meat, which however includes fish - as most miso soup does.
Some Thai cuisine, including dishes such as pad kee maow and many Thai curries.
Creole and Southern foods such as hush puppies, okra patties, rice and beans, or sauteed kale or collards, if not cooked with the traditional pork fat or meat stock.

[edit] Desserts

Many desserts, including pies, cobblers, cakes, brownies, cookies, truffles, rice-krispy/peanut butter treats (from gelatin-free marshmallows, or marshmallow fluff), pudding, rice pudding, ice cream, creme brulée, etc.
Oriental confectionery and desserts, such as Halva, Lokum (aka Turkish Delight) are mostly vegan, such as Baklava at least vegetarian.

[edit] Cuisine that uses meat analogues

These are vegetarian versions of popular dishes that non-vegetarians enjoy and are frequently consumed as fast food, comfort food, transition food for new vegetarians, or a way to show non-vegetarians that they can be vegetarians while still enjoying their favorite foods. Many vegetarians just enjoy these dishes as part of a varied diet.

Some popular mock-meat dishes include:

Veggie burgers (burgers usually made from grains, TVP, seitan (wheat gluten), tempeh, and/or mushrooms)
- In some cases, one can order a burger made without any mock-meat at all, see: "burgerless burger"
Veggie dogs (usually made from TVP)
Imitation sausage (soysage, various types of 'salami', 'bologna', 'pepperoni', et al., made of some form of soy)
Mockmeat or 'meatyballs' (usually made from TVP)
Vegetarian or meatless 'chicken' (usually made from seitan, tofu or TVP)
Jambalaya (with mock sausage and mock chicken, usually made from TVP, seitan, or tempeh)
Tomato Omelette where tomatoes and a paste of flour is used to produce a vegetable omelette without the use of eggs.