Veganizing Czech Food

As many of you might have noticed through social media or in your day-to-day life, veganism is increasing, not only in the Czech Republic, but all around the world. Supermarkets have begun to present more vegan alternatives, even fast food companies are starting to announce vegan options!

The Czech Republic is not different from the rest of the world. Even though the Czech cuisine is mostly meat based, if you’re a vegan, you don’t need to be scared by visiting the country or coming to begin a new journey of your life.

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products. Yes, you don’t eat meat or fish, but also things like milk, butter, or eggs. And why is this happening? What reasons do people take in consideration to become vegan?

There are a lot of reasons for why people become vegans

Generally, you can find 3 main reasons. The first one you can immediately guess: animal exploitation. Usually, this one is the main reason why a person becomes vegan, because one believes that animals should be free of cruelty. Another one is your health. It’s no secret that a plant-based diet is a lot healthier than a “normal one”. Last but not least, many become vegan for the environment, since one of the most effective things an individual can do to lower their carbon footprint is to avoid all animal products. There might be other reasons, everyone has theirs, maybe you can share yours with us in the comment section!

Thinking of you who are vegan, who would like to embark on this way of life or those that are just curious about it, we decided to help you veganize some Czech dishes!

Easy tips to veganize Czech Food

Čočka na kyselo

This is a cooked lentil stew with spices, it is usually served with meat and eggs, therefore, to veganize you only need to make sure there is no meat, eggs or lard in it. 

Zapečený lilek

Zapečený lilek is a sliced eggplant topped with cheese and tomatoes. To veganize it you only need to take out the cheese, or use vegan cheese instead! Nowadays, you have plenty of vegan cheese options!

Veganism is a plant-based diet

Kuba

Kuba is a Czech kind of risotto. Made with mushrooms and groats. Usually with butter or lard, you can exchange that with sunflower oil, making it a perfect vegan meal! This dish is usually prepared for Christmas, but you can make it anytime you want.

Červené zelí 

Cooked red cabbage is a very Czech thing to eat as a side dish. Usually served with some kind of meat. To veganize it you just need to exclude the meat and serve it with something else, maybe tofu would be a good idea!

Lečo

Although originally from Hungary, lečo is very popular among the Czechs. This is a vegetable stew, usually made of yellow peppers, tomatoes, onion, salt and paprika. As you can see, pretty vegan, uh? You just have to make sure that it’s not sauteed in butter, bacon fat or lard and you’re good to go! Instead of that, you can use olive oil or sunflower oil.

Smažený květák

Smazeny kvetak can be perceived as an appetizer for some, nevertheless, you can give this dish another type of value. Basically it’s just breaded cauliflower, however, you may serve it with some mashed potatoes and some fresh salad on the side. Perfect for a full meal!

In case you want to go out and experience some vegan food without having to cook it, my suggestion would be Pizza Punk for vegan pizza and Tři Ocásci for a full vegan meal. Both in Brno, cheap and with great food!

You can also discover new places to go out in Brno with vegan options by coming to our monthly MeetUps which always take place in different venues across the city!

Are you interested in international cuisine in the Czech Republic? Check out some of our previous articles!

https://blog.foreigners.cz/tip-for-an-indian-restaurant-in-prague-indian-by-nature/

https://blog.foreigners.cz/vietnamese-culture-prague-5-must-try-foods/

Written by Mariana Duarte.

Photo source: Pexels.com

Karyna Babkova

Hello, dear readers! I am a Ukrainian student, currently studying for a Master's degree in Masaryk University and I am deeply honoured to have a chance to share with you some important and interesting information about living in Brno. Hopefully, you will find my articles useful and entertaining xx

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