Pitfalls for Vegetarians
Some years ago an Indian American had brought a case against a fast food conglomerate when she discovered that the french fries sold by them had animal fat added to enhance flavor. Although there is no hard and fast rule to define vegetarians, in this article we will consider eggs, fish sauce, lard and meat stock, etc. as non-veg.
Choices are further reduced if mayonnaise and cheese are also included. Eggless mayonnaise and cheese without animal rennet is not common outside India.
Indonesia: Gado-Gado
Gado-Gado means mix-mix and this dish is available in Indonesia all the way to East Java. It is a mix of potatoes, bean sprouts, long beans, spinach, corn, cabbage, tofu etc. along with a hardboiled egg. Everything is mixed with peanut sauce while serving. You can always skip the hardboiled egg while ordering it.
Egypt: Kushari
Kushari is available everywhere in Egypt, even on street corners and its Egypt’s national dish. It’s made with a combination of rice, macaroni noodles, beans and lentils, all topped with red tomato sauce. Sometimes fried onions and garbanzo beans are used as toppings along with the sauce.
Hummus: All of Middle East
Another very popular and entirely vegetarian dish is the famous hummus, readily available all over the Arab world. Made from chick peas, tahina (sesame seed paste) garlic, lime juice and drizzled with olive oil. It’s accompanied with pitta bread and pickled chillies, cucumber, beets, etc.
Morocco: Tabouleh
Available all over North Africa and Middle East, Tabouleh is a Morrocan dish of bulgar wheat, parsley, mint, tomatoes and spring onion, topped with lemon juice and sometimes with hummus. Can be had along with fried falafel.
Mexico: Frijoles negros
In Mexican cuisine, black beans have a prominent place. Frijoles negros are usually served as a stew topped with thin slices of avocado and sprinkled with coriander. You can ask for them as a filling for your burritos or tacos as well.
In a big city you will always find something and if all fails, order a pizza with your choice with vegetarian toppings.
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