Vegetarian Cuisines Around the World

As a vegetarian for the past seven years, I've often answered the question, "What do you EAT?"

This is a ridiculous question and I'm going to tell you why: Have you seen the Food Pyramid? Have you noticed that meat is represented as only a fraction of the pyramid, not even half? There's a variety of meals out there that vegetarians have the joy of eating regularly because we don't fall into the meat rut.

There are many answers that a vegetarian can give when asked what they eat. My favorite, though, is to list the world cuisines that offer vegetarian meals aplenty. This is basically every world cuisine; I'm not just talking about Chinese, Mexican and Italian - although those have superb offerings. I'm also talking about Greek, Indian and even American food.

So, in order to set the record straight, here's my list of cuisines, and their vegetarian offerings.

Chinese: Let's get this one out of the way right now, because the Chinese were the first purveyors of the soybean, and its fermented sister, tofu. While tofu is a good meat alternative, tofu does not have to be the mainstay of a vegetarian diet. Chinese dishes that are meat-free include vegetable fried rice, egg foo young (yeah, I know, it's Americanized Chinese food) and various combinations of stir fried vegetables with a variety of delicious sauces like teriyaki and ginger. And let's not forget that wonderfood, white rice.

Mexican: When your average American thinks Mexican food, I suppose they think of beef tamales, beef tacos, bean and beef burritos and so on. But, subtract the word 'beef' from these dishes and you've got vegetarian meals. Tamales can be stuffed with fruit or tofu and fried with vegetable oil instead of lard. Tacos can be filled with beans and rice. Burritos can be filled with grilled veggies, beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, rice, anything small enough to be wrapped. And let's not forget quesadillas, folks.

Italian: Forget osso bucco: the mainstay of Italian cuisine is pasta! Pasta, though you might not have thought of it this way before, is vegetarian. There are tomato sauces and cream sauces to slather over your steaming plate of semolina goodness, or you can simply toss pasta with some oil, garlic and vegetables. Then there's minestrone soup. This tomato-based dish is hearty and tasty and traditionally vegetarian. Fritatta, a baked omelette, is also fun to experiment with. It can be made with potatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and any vegetables you please.

Greek: Greeks are known for their gyros, the sandwich which takes its name after the slab of meat that 'gyrates' on a spindle as it cooks. Forget about gyros! Why worry about hunks of meat when you've got falafel, tabbouleh and couscous medleys to enjoy? Falafel is a fritter with Greek spices, and is delightfully filling. It's great on a sandwich with greens, red onion and kalamata olives. Tabbouleh is a parsley salad; couscous is a grain, smaller than rice and round. It's easy to cook (or find at fast food restaurants). And let's not forget that great, protein-packed, on-the-go snack: hummus and pita bread. Hummus, or ground chickpeas, also go great on cut-up carrots, zucchini or other vegetables.

Indian: Indian is one of those cuisines that, if you don't live in a big city and have access to lots of different cultures and cuisines, may seem very foreign to you. Indian food is all about the spices. You can buy Indian spice mixes at most grocery stores these days, so you don't have to worry about accumulating bottles of turmeric, curry powder and garam masala. You can make great curry chutneys with whatever vegetables you like, and experiment with lentil beans by making different types of dal, a lentil paste that tastes like an improved version of refried beans. Yum! Remember, India is a largely vegetarian country, so you can find plenty more vegetable dishes if you experiment here and there.

American: I'll admit it. When I think American food, I think hamburgers and hot dogs and chicken pot pie and chili and chili cheese dogs and pork roast and beans n' hamhocks and roast beef and the whole nine yards, just like anyone who was born and raised in the meat-loving country would think. But behind the meatfest are some amazing dishes as well: make yourself a savory vegetable pot pie with frozen vegetables, readymade pie crusts and a can of cream o'mushroom or cream o'potato soup. Have a good old fashioned grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Sure, there are salads and PB&J sandwiches you can eat, but why settle for that when you can have heartier dishes like unbeef stew (made with tofu) and homemade potato soup?

So if you are vegetarian and are constantly asked what you eat, now you will have a medley, a jumbalaya, a smorgasbord of answers!

If you're not a vegetarian, ask yourself: "If I'm not eating vegetables, what AM I eating?"