Vegetarian cuisine
Vegetarian cuisine is food that satisfies vegetarian principles. This means food free from ingredients like meat, meat broth, cheeses that use animal rennet, even some sugars.Although not essential, certain special ingredients have often been associated with vegetarian cuisine — the most popular being tofu. Although tofu plays a key role in many mock dishes, a person can be vegetarian for life and never touch it.
Ignoring the different types of vegetarians (e.g., ovo-lacto vs. vegan), one can roughly divide vegetarian cuisine into 2 categories:
- Meat Analogues, cuisine that uses mock meats.
- Cuisine that are "naturally" vegetarian.
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. However a few see their use as "cheating".
Some popular mock dishes include:
- Veggie burgers (usually made from soy or grain)
- Veggie dogs (usually made from soy)
- Veggie chilli (usually made from soy or other beans)
- Veggie haggis (usually made with oatmeal, pulses, nuts, and vegetables)
Some ingredients commonly used in this cuisine:
Cuisine that's "Naturally" Vegetarian
These are dishes that non-vegetarians normally eat or dishes that can be made vegetarian by substitution of minor ingredients. Such dishes include:
- Spaghetti with marinara sauce
- Macaroni and cheese (provided the cheese isn't made with animal rennet)
- Salads
- Bean burritos (without lard in the refried beans)
- Vegetable soups (only vegetable broth)
- Many desserts (cake, ice cream, etc.)
