On the first of October it’s time to go vegetarian! This day, as it has been since 1977, is World Vegetarian Day and our Spanish school in Salamanca has been looking into ways to celebrate it in the traditional meat-loving country of Spain and , suprisingly, there’s lots of Spanish vegetarian food to enjoy!
On Thursday 1st October 2009 animal lovers of the world will reunite to celebrate World Vegetarian Day – a special event first organised by the North American Vegetarian Society way back in 1977.
This animal-friendly tradition has spread to Spain, with the entire first week of October being named as World Vegetarian Week – an event backed by the Unión Vegetariana España. Though Spain’s ratio of vegetarians to meat-eaters is actually reasonably low compared to the likes of the USA and Great Britain, the trend for turning away from meat is growing, as more and more vegetarian options are becoming available throughout the bars, restaurants and supermarkets here on the Iberian Peninsula. World Vegetarian Day itself is in fact expected to be a catalyst for a batch of newly turned vegetarians – the promoters of the day are encouraging non-vegetarians to participate in the celebration by trying out vegetarianism for 24 hours (or, if they’re willing, the entire week or month!). A great deal of those who do this don’t actually turn back to meat-eating, after finding their vegetarian experience a lot easier than they thought and enjoying the wide range of vegetarian health benefits.
A delious Spanish veggie dish!
Promoters of the day are also encouraging people to draw attention to the cause by wearing the special edition t-shirts, making speeches, putting up posters and, most importantly, going – and helping other people to go – vegetarian.
Suggestions for helping other people unite to the cause are organising a special vegetarian meal or picnic, putting a list of vegetarian options on the menu should you have a restaurant or cooking vegetarian snacks for your work colleagues, class mates or friends.
For many people of Spain the day will be quite a change of routine – meat is a big part of the gastronomy here and so many people are reluctant to give up the tradition, or simply they don’t know how to, having eaten meat for all their lives.
A Spanish veggie cookery class!
Luckily we have some great Spanish vegetarian meal ideas!
- Spanish Omlette
Made from solely eggs, potatoes and onions, this is a great dish which can be adapted to any taste – be it by adding peppers, courgettes, spinach, tomotoes…the list of potential ingredients is endless!
- Cheese Croquettes
A great alternative to the traditional ham and cheese “croquetas” of Spain, they really are a treat!
- Gazpacho
A cold soup made from tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, olive oil…Incredibly healthy too!
- Patatas Bravas
A spicy dish made from fried chunks of potatoes served with a hot sauce and cooling mayonnaise mix.
- Champiñones al ajillo (garlic mushrooms)
Even suitable for vegans, this dish is a great accompaniment to any meal!
The students at the Mester Spanish school in Salamanca have already started the celebration with a cookery class based on the famous tortilla española! What will you do to celebrate World Vegetarian Day?
