Take Your Taste Buds on a Vegan Culinary Adventure around the World

TORONTO, ON (August 11, 2016) — One of the many wonderful things about plant-based eating is the opportunity to discover and enjoy flavourful cuisine from around the world. Caribbean, Italian, Mexican, Asian, or Ethiopian— there are infinite options when it comes to exploring new ethnic dishes.

"You don’t have to travel the world to take your taste buds on a culinary adventure," says Alyssa de Hoop, Special Events Coordinator for Veg Food Fest. "Gone are the days of microwave noodles and bread. Vegans can now spice up their routines with ethnically-inspired dishes full of new spices and flavours."

Here are a few delicious ethnic vegan dishes from around the world, some of which you will find at this year’s Veg Food Fest:

· Begin your tasteful journey in the exotic country of Thailand, where you can find a variety of vegan options to suit any type of craving. Visit Green Earth Vegan and enjoy their spring rolls made with textured vegetable protein, fresh mint, lettuce, cucumber, and vermicelli rolled in thin rice paper served with peanut sauce. Continue with Tom Yum; a spicy Thai soup with tamarind based broth, lemongrass, mushroom, tofu, cabbage, bamboo shoots, tomato and fresh basil.

· Stop by beautiful India, known for its delicious cuisine full of abundant flavours. For a quick yet delicious starter, try a vegan twist to the traditional Indian Samosa, made plump with potatoes and green peas in a golden pastry and served with tamarind sauce. Visit Soneli Indian Cuisine in Toronto for similar delectable Indian options such as Channa Masala and Dal Makhani. Check out Arvinda’s premium spice blends to try your hand at preparing truly authentic Indian curries.

· Revel in delicious vegan meals as you visit Ethiopia where cuisine consists of vegetables and tangy spices. For a traditional Ethiopian meal visit Nunu Ethiopian to start with a rich hearty saffron onion soup and continue with Azefa; black lentil, red onions, and green pepper in a tangy mustard sauce served cool. Be sure to order Ethiopia’s famous injera, a food that just about all Ethiopians eat made from an ancient grain called Teff, mixed with water, left to ferment for its signature sour flavour and then fried like a pancake.

· Travel to Jamaica where popular dishes include fried dumplings, Jamaican patties (vegan, of course), rice and peas, fried plantain and everything ‘Jerk’. At Vital-Life Vegan you will find various mouth-watering options such as Sweet n Sour Tofu, Lima bean strew, Jamaican Callaloo, Millet Pillaf, and fried plantains among others.

· Continue this adventure by savouring layered tortilla pie of eggplant, caramelized onions, refrito beans, and roasted jalapeños found in Mad Mexican’s Pastel Azteca. This tasty meatless dish is served with salsa verde, topped with fresh onion, coriander and pasilla marinated jimaca.

· End the trip on the right foot and reward yourself with crunchy biscotti— an Italian almond biscuit known to have originated in the city of Patro. Tori’s Bakeshop makes a fantastic pistachio biscotti made with ginger, coconut milk, flax, unrefined cane sugar, canola oil, cranberries, almond flour and various other ingredients.

With so many naturally meatless dishes from all over the globe, you will find that the world is truly a vegan’s oyster.

For more information, please visit Veg Food Fest. Follow @VegFoodFest or ‘Like’ them on Facebook.