Vegetarian food by definition is food that does not contain any products that have been produced through the death of an animal. Therefore along with the obvious sources of meat such as beef and pork, any fish, seafood and poultry is also out of the question.
However eggs and dairy are generally OK bar a few exceptions noted below. These are OK because the slaughter of an animal was not required to obtain these ingredients. Some vegetarians may prefer to abstain even from eggs and dairy due to the cruelty that animals may endure from procurement of these products.
As you can see, it's not too hard to feed a vegetarian. You probably know of several vegetarian recipes off the top of your head now that you could cook. However there are a couple more things you need to look out for when catering for vegetarians. These include:
- Gelatin containing products such as jelly and marshmallows
- Rennet containing cheeses and dairy products
- Wines, beers and spirits that use animal products such as isinglass during the manufacturing process
- Items containing fish and crustacea such as oyster sauce and worcheshire sauce
- Additives and colorings such as cochineal, L-cysteine are not vegetarian.
- Now that you know the basics of what makes a vegetarian dish and what to look out for, you have to find some yummy recipes to cook. Some obvious sources include search engines such as Google and vegetarian blogs. Another great source for tasty gourmet recipes are the websites of famous chefs. I have found heaps from celebrity chefs who often have large sections devoted to vegetarian dishes.
Don’t just assume that vegetarians only eat salads either! Be a little creative and surprise your vegetarian guests by adding a little bit of diversity to your meals. There is nothing worse for a vegetarian than arriving as a guest to someone’s party only to find that there is only a boring garden salad for them to eat. Remember, anything you cook for a vegetarian can also be eaten by a meat eater. Any meat eaters will certainly appreciate being able to mix it up!
So off you go, cook to your hearts content without worrying about offending your vegetarian guests! Cooking for a vegetarian need not be the daunting task you thought it would be as long as you follow some of the basics I've given you here. All the best, and as the French say, Bon Appetit!
