Eat Your Way Around the World With These Plant-Forward Global Cuisines

Cuisine from different cultures can break up the monotony of your go-to dinner routine. It can reignite a love for food and awaken your taste buds to entirely new flavors. But new foods can also be intimidating. A menu can be full of dishes you’ve never heard of before, made with ingredients you can’t pronounce, and who knows what hidden animal products could be lurking in these tantalizing dishes?

Before you scurry back to the familiarity of your routine, take note of these eight vegan-friendly cuisines. If you’re lucky, you might discover your new favorite food.

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1Ethiopian

If you’re looking for a culinary adventure, start with Ethiopian cuisine. The food is rich, flavorful, and nutritious. Most dishes resemble a stew-like consistency and are accompanied by injera—a soft, spongy flatbread made from teff flour and served by the basketful. Beyond being incredibly addictive, the injera serves a practical purpose: it is your utensil. You use it to scoop up your main entrée. Like many of the culture’s traditional dishes, injera is already vegan.

Other vegan-friendly options include atakilt wat (potatoes, carrots, and cabbage), misir wot (red lentil stew), gomen (stewed collard greens), fasolia (stewed green beans), kik alicha (split pea stew) and more.

Try it at home: Make Vegan Richa’s Atakilt Wat and Gluten-Free Injera.

Ordering-out tip: Don’t just try one dish; sample them all! Ethiopian restaurants offer a vegetarian (accidentally vegan) combo platter that lets you try most if not all of the veggie offerings. Don’t worry; it always comes with plenty of injera!

Vegan Richa

2South Indian

South Indian food is less reliant on animal products compared with North India, making it easier for vegans to dine worry-free. Regional staples include sambar (tamarind-spiced lentil and vegetable stew), dosas (a crepe-like flatbread served either stuffed or plain), idli (fermented and steamed rice and lentil cake), upma (wheat and vegetable porridge), and more.

Try it at home: Whip up some sambar in less than an hour with Vegan Richa’s Instant Pot Eggplant Sambar recipe.

Ordering-out tip: While South Indian food is lighter in dairy products compared to the North, some cheese, eggs, and cream are used in certain dishes. Avoid items with paneer (cheese) and yogurt, and confirm with your server that the dishes you’re ordering are dairy-free.

Tim Aitkins

3Mediterranean

Wellness practitioners and diet gurus have touted the benefits of a Mediterranean diet for years, but why? Because it’s mostly plant-based! There’s nothing like a mezze platter of roasted peppers, charred eggplant, creamy hummus, briny olives, refreshing tabouli, cucumber salad, and warm, fluffy pita bread. A glass of vegan wine doesn’t hurt, either.

Try it at home: Make yourself a fully loaded falafel pita sandwich with the works by following this recipe. It’s a Mediterranean street food classic!

Ordering-out tip: Tzatziki is often paired with falafel. Double check with your server to ensure its vegan, as the sauce is typically made with yogurt. 

4Mexican

Beans. Veggies. Rice. Salsa. Guac. What more can anyone ask for, other than a hand-pressed corn tortilla, of course? Luckily, all of these foods are vegan. From Mexican-inspired fast-casual concepts like Chipotle, to family-owned sit-down establishments, Mexican food is generally a safe space for vegans. 

Try it at home: Tamales can be labor intensive, but they’re well worth the effort. Try your hand at these Vegan Portabello ‘Huitlacoche’ Tamales.

Ordering-out tip: Beans are sometimes made with lard, though this practice is becoming more of a rarity. Rice may also be made with chicken stock. Ask your server to ensure these items are animal-free.

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5Korean

“Vegan” may not be the first word most associate with Korean cuisine, but many traditionally meat-heavy restaurants are opening up to the idea. More Korean restaurants are now offering vegan versions of their classic veggie dishes, such as tofu stew, mandu (steamed dumplings), japchae (stir-fried sweet potato noodles), bibimbap (crispy rice and veggie bowl), and banchan (traditional Korean small side dishes ranging from kimchi, pickled daikon, mung bean, and stewed potatoes). 

Try it at home: Experience vegan Korean food at home with The Vegan Korean’s Soon Tofu Stew recipe.

Ordering-out tip: Look for a vegan section n the menu. If absent, ask your server to be sure the dish you want does not include bonito flakes, fish sauce, or anchovies.

This Healthy Kitchen

6Southern Italian

True Italian food is a far cry from the meat and dairy-heavy dishes presented in most Americanized Italian restaurants. Further, Italian food is extremely diverse, each region varying widely from the next. For vegan-friendly fare, head south. These humble classics are produce-forward and often completely plant-based. Look for ciambotta (vegetable stew), pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), minestra (cabbage, leafy greens, white beans), and roasted red pepper antipasto.

Try it at home: Make this Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli tonight and serve with a generous sprinkle of vegan parmesan.   

Ordering-out tip: American restaurants have a tendency to add cheese to almost every Italian dish. Politely tell your server to hold the cheese, please!

Elavegan

7Burmese

The unique and plant-focused cuisine of Myanmar is an extremely underrated cuisine. The food reflects Asian cuisine, from its tofu-based soups, fibrous salads, noodles, and samosas, but with a very distinct Burmese flair. Perhaps the most highly regarded dish is tea leaf salad. The base is fermented tea leaves tossed with nuts, cabbage, tomato, and other bits like ginger, sesame seeds, and mung beans, coated in an oil-based dressing. The strong flavor of the tea leaves is mellowed out by the additional ingredients, making for a unique dish unparalleled by other cuisines. Other vegan-friendly Burmese options include shan tofu soup, shan tofu salad, pennywort salad, and veggie-stuffed fried dough balls, similar to samosas. 

Try it at home: Burmese tofu is made from chickpeas, giving it a more dense texture and interesting flavor. Make a huge batch for yourself and stockpile leftovers in the freezer with this recipe from Elavegan.

Ordering-out tip: Many Burmese dishes are made with chili paste, so be warned: they can be hot!

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8Chinese hot pot

For those who can eat their weight in vegetables, hot pot is something you need to add to your rotation. The concept is simple: choose your protein, broth, sauce, and white or brown rice. The vegan option typically includes two large plates of raw veggies (most include tofu, napa cabbage, baby corn, mushrooms, kabocha squash, broccoli, carrots, and onions), plus a huge bowl of seasoned broth to cook them in, various dipping sauces, and a generous portion of steamed rice. It’s simple yet incredibly delicious and satisfying.

Try it at home: This type of interactive cuisine is a bit difficult to replicate at home, unless you commit and purchase a hot plate. If you’re up for it, follow Madeline Lu’s guide for everything you need, from equipment to recipes.

Ordering-out tip: Hot pot dishes are known for containing fish sauce. Double check with your server to ensure the broth and sauces are fish-free.