10 Best Countries for Vegetarian Travel

[Velimira Velikova]

Traveling as a vegetarian or vegan is never easy, but it isn’t as hard as many people think. It takes a little effort, but if you’re open to tasting new and interesting food and up for a challenge, you’ll be amazed at the variety of exciting things you’ll get to try when traveling. The 10 countries below are known for their various cuisine and always helpful locals.

#1. China

Thanks to the historical influence of Buddhism, China has a 2000 year tradition of pure vegetarian food. There are vegetarian restaurants in all the major cities and many smaller towns serving so-called “mock meats“, imitating the texture, shape and sometimes flavor of meat.

#2. Croatia

Vegetarian cuisine has never been one of Croatia’s strong points, but there’s usually enough to choose from on restaurant menus if you look hard enough. Vegetarians can often construct a lovely meal from the yummy grilled vegetables served as starters or side dishes, pastas with various sauces, mushroom dishes, and fantastic salads.

#3. Egypt

Egyptian restaurants offer a mixed bag of experiences for vegetarians. If you’re happy to go local and eat at cheap, no frills places then vegetarian food is plentiful. Mezzes consists of a number of small dishes like hummus (made with chick peas), baba ghanouj (made with eggplant), labneh (yogurt), foul medammes (mushed up broad beans), salads, pickled vegetables, olives and comes with a basket of freshly baked aish baladi (pita bread).

#4. England

For the large number of vegetarians and vegans in England, that must be one of the most vegetarian-friendly countries. The UK has a long tradition of vegetarian cuisine and the great number of vegetarian restaurants offer one of the world’s most diverse selection of  dishes available, from good old fashioned vegetarian pub grub such as a vegetable crumble, Asian, Caribbean and Mexican through to London’s best gourmet botanical cuisine.

#5. Greece

Greeks eat more meat than any other Europeans, but on the other hand, eat more vegetables than other Europeans too. Like many other Mediterranean cuisines, there is a tradition of small dishes, eaten individually as appetizers or with drinks (mezes).  Whilst there are some traditional vegan dishes served as main courses, the easiest way to eat vegan, and eat well, is to assemble a meal from the collection of mezes on offer.

#6. India

In India, an estimate of 42% of the population is vegetarians and a great part of them are lacto vegetarians: animal based ingredients (other than milk and honey) are not used in the traditional cuisine. Make sure you try malai kofta (the  vegetarian alternative to meatballs), rajma (red kidney bean curry), which tastes great even when served with just plain rice, and aaloo parathas (stuffed  flat bread served with chilled yogurt and your favorite pickle or chutney).

#7. Malaysia

The South East Asian nation of Malaysia is also a haven for vegetarian delicacies. Sure, you are going to have to order more than your fair share of char kway teow or mee goreng and tanpa daging (without meat). Malay food is all about spicy sambals and coconut curries, and has its share of interesting vegetable preparations like kerabu salad.

#8. Poland

Poland is known for its rich, meaty cuisine, but that does not mean, that vegetarians are out of place here . Every town is dotted with tiny produce markets and at least one large open market full of gorgeous fruits and vegetables. Most restaurants have at least one meatless option and cabbage is a popular ingredient in Poland. Vegetarians will be pleased with knysza, a pita filled with red and white cabbage, carrots, corn, a garlic yogurt sauce, and crunchy fried onions.

#9. Thailand

Lots of people assume that since Thailand is mostly Buddhist that vegetarianism is common among the people. However, Theravada Buddhism does not prohibit or even discourage the eating of meat except as a voluntary ascetic practice. But among the ubiquitous chicken, fish and tiger prawn local dishes, there is a host of vegetarian opportunities waiting to be discovered. In addition, the food in Thailand is very adaptable for different tastes, flavors and dietary needs.

#10. Turkey

Most Turkish dishes contain more vegetables than meat, but in the many stews and pilavs (rice dish), small amounts of meat may be used as a flavoring, so vegetarians need to choose carefully, but you won’t starve. Many stuffed vegetables will contain mostly rice. Make sure you get a taste of the local dolma (stuffed grapevine leaves), zeytinyagli (leeks with olive oil), pide and börek ( kind of fried or baked pastry filled with cheese or potatoes).