"Satvik food has foreigners swing Goa the vegan way"

Satvik food has foreigners swing Goa the vegan way

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This small village on the Calungute-Panaji Road has more foreigners than many beach resorts in the state. And many of these foreign tourists are vegans, who have been influencing local tastes too.

Till recently, the most popular Goan restaurants catered to the tastes of Europeans, Russians or Americans, and many restaurants were named such that they made the choice of cuisine quite clear. Now, there are many restaurants called Plantain’s Leaf, La Vegan, Vegan Goa, Woody’s, Satvika and Brahminica, proudly proclaiming their vegan status.

“This is a revolution we were expecting. It all started after the Russians started arriving in Goa, seeking Ayurveda and Yoga. Their packages could extend for up to three years, and they were often instructed to give up non-vegetarian food and alcohol,” says Wilfred Braganza, a functionary at the Goan Hotels Association. There is a likelihood that many South Indian hotels will open up in Goa, offering the famed South Indian vegetarian fare.

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It's interesting how the vegetarianism, which is widespread in India, influenced the Western world and how the Westerners now influence Indians to go vegan.

Yes - also very interesting that Russians are into yoga etc (and by implication veganism??)

is there anywhere where I could find a list of restaurants with vegan options in India? That's quite the list in Goa! I'm glad I've decided that we need to do whatever possible to get to there from Sikkim.

I've been to India (10+ years ago), and even back then it was easy to waiters at veg places (which you'll find everywhere) to make a vegan version of something they have... It's also common to use coconut milk, tomato sauce etc, instead of dairy in South Indian dishes, and you'll also find these dishes outside South India. Make sure you check out masala dosa!

Thank you Korn! Is Masala Dosa always vegan?! Any dishes that are always vegan are good to know, I'm memorizing the words for the dairy products there. I'm nervous about it all!

There may come one little thing with Masala Dosa which is milk based (don't remember), but it's separate from all the other stuff.

There's nothing to be nervous about, really - and if you want to make getting vegan food even easier for you than it is in India, look - in North India - for cafes and restaurants serving South Indian food. I must have been asking for vegan food at dozens of Indian restaurants over the years, and only one place said no - we can't help you with that. That was outside India. And they had no customers.