What vegetarians can eat in Europe
 

I am traveling on a budget europe tour with my mom and sister through Europe and Egypt in November and visiting places:
2 days in Koeln
1 day in Amsterdam
1 day in Berlin
2 days each in Barcelona, Paris and Venice
1 day in Pisa
3 days in Rome
2 days in Cairo
My mom and sis are vegetarians and do not eat any kind of flesh, fish or eggs or anything made from these things, or any dish added with these things. I know it is tough to survive without these things in Europe. I too do not eat seafood. I heard every region do has its own vegetarian dish speciality.
Any suggestions?

*sigh*

How do you 'know' it is tough to survive without meat or eggs in Europe? We have millions of vegetarians.

You honestly won't have the slightest problem.

No problems in the Netherlands either. Every restaurant has at least one or tow vegetarian/vegan dishes. Same goes for the supermarkets.
Even our local McDonalds has a veggie (maybe even vegan) burger on the menu; Groenteburger.

Even in France, vegetarians have no trouble finding appropriate options.

In Paris, I highly recommend Le Potager du Marais...a lovely vegetarian restaurant that also offers some vegan meals. I loved it so much that I ate there twice during my 2 night stay. My favorite dish was the warm goat cheese salad.

In Venice, try La Zucca. It is primarily a vegetarian restaurant, though they do serve a few meat dishes as well. Reservations essential.

I'm mostly vegetarian (although I will eat *some* seafood) and haven't had an issue dining anywhere in Europe.

"Even in France, vegetarians have no trouble finding appropriate options."

Although if you remove eggs from the equation, things do get harder, as the ubiquitous quiches, omelettes and crepes are out of the question.
In Paris, things like baguette sandwiches, panini, falafel and pizza are easy to come by. And there are various vegan/veggie restaurants around the city, along with a few Indian restaurants that always cater for veggies. In the more traditional French eateries, there will probably be a salad option (probably goat's cheese!) that would be suitable, or a cheese plate, but finding a hot dish that doesn't include eggs might be harder.

In Italy, there are plenty of vegetarian pasta dishes (just make sure the actual pasta is egg-free) and pizzas to be had. Plus soups and salads, breads etc.

And if all else fails, you can always nip into a supermarket or visit the open-air markets and grab a few bits and pieces for a picnic.

If falafel fulfills your criteria, we loved L'As de Falafel in Paris. Also, kind on the budget.

(If you were going to London, I'd recommend Food For Thought. Even though I'm not vegetarian, I really like it and try to go there every time I'm in London.)

Do you know how to communicate your requirements in the various languages? I would think that might be the hardest part, although less of a problem in the big cities.

http://www.happycow.net/europe/netherlands/amsterdam/
lists vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Amsterdam. If you click on the Europe tag you can then find others in the other cities you are visiting.

Indonesian restaurants also always have a vegetarian menu. It may include eggs in one dish but if you tell them you don't want eggs they will be fine with that.

You've got a real problem. And it's downright irresponsible for other posters to deny it.

Your mother and sister AREN'T vegetarian: they're vegan. In most of Europe, vegans have a hard time: it's tough to find food they can eat, most of us think they're insane and submitting to gestapo-style interrogations about every item on a menu isn't regarded as part of a waiter's job.

Straightforward vegetarians have few problems (though in Italy and Spain especially, you have to treble-check that stocks are vegetable-based), provided they've done their homework. Indeed, eating vegetarian 100% of the time, and always eating real food, in real restaurants, is positively pleasurable in most places

But there's next to no culture in Europe, even in dedicated vegan restaurants, of serving fake food, like egg-free "omelettes". And ensuring no cheese, milk, honey, gelatin or animal rennet has ever come near what you're eating is way beyond most restaurant staff's expertise. Many eateries would be downright offended at the assumption they'd even think of using margarine, rather than butter, in their pastry or a vegan gelatine substitute in the glaze for the tarte aux pommes. A French baguette sandwich without butter?

As for the fantasy that any self-respecting Indian restaurant would use milk-free ghee...

If your relatives REALLY are vegan, the first rule is to mistrust anything you read from non-vegans. Unless you can find a real vegan restaurant in each city, the second rule is to give up any idea of decent eating. You're going to have to live out of supermarkets (after learning each local language) or devise a short repertoire of meals (like pasta with tomato sauce but no cheese) you can rely on.

I 1,000% agree with Flanner and would also add that many vegan restaurants that would be in the major cities would not necessarily be budget options. You will need to get you food at supermarkets where you can read the ingredient list. Amsterdam and Berlin would be your best bets for finding any vegan restaurants.

You didn't say if they eat dairy. Flanner is assuming they don't and everyone else is assuming they do. Makes a huge difference. If they can get by just without eating meat or fish there will be no problem at all. Add in avoiding anything made with eggs and it gets harder. If dairy is also a no-no then I agree with Flanner that they'll be eating out of grocery stores.

What do they do about eating out in the US ( assuming that is where you are from).

Even bigger question - you say you are on a "tour". Do you mean a group tour? If you are doing it independently how do plan to cover 9 cities in five countries on two continents in just over two weeks? You'll spend all your time traveling between places and even if you didn't have to spend extra time finding appropriate places to eat you'd not have time to see anything. If you mean a group tour (by bus?) then aren't a lot of the restaurants already chosen for you? How much freedom will you have to go off and find your own food. Not much I would guess. And most of the restaurants frequented by tour groups do not cater to vegetarians, much less vegans.

I didn't interpret that as vegan, which I admit can be a problem. It says they are veggie who also don't eat eggs. I assume dairy products are still ok, so there should still be plenty of choice with not having to avoid milk, cheese, cream, yoghurt etc...

The website I linked to allows for Vegan but also ovo vegetarians - each restaurant is listed by the type of vegetarians they can cater for. there are plenty in Paris according to the site, though I have no idea whether any will be in the pat of Paris where the OP is staying.

Hi A,

I won't get into the Vegan/Veggie debate.

I think that your whirlwind tour of 9 cities in 6 countries is exhausting, even if you can make connections. About half of your time will be taken up getting to/from airports and train stations.

I urge you to rethink your itinerary.

((I))

I agree that if they are vegan, i.e. don't eat dairy, it will make life a lot more difficult.

It's ok. With that travel schedule, there won't be time to eat. Problem solved.

submitting to gestapo-style interrogations

flanneruk, you know what you are talking about?

In addition to the happy cow site, you might find this resto list for Paris helpful:

http://veganparis.com/2008/12/13/lis...ants-in-paris/

Maoz is a vegetarian falafel chain that is about 90% vegan. I know they're in Amsterdam, Paris & Barcelona so you could check your other cities.

For Rome, L'insalata Ricca, serves large salds-some vegan-as well as lighter fare. http://www.insalataricca.it/

Best of luck~

I really do not see a problem. Supermarkets will provide for all needs. Forget most restaurants.

Supermarkets are fine as long as they know all the local terms for all the things they won't eat, including e-numbers and the like. Otherwise a vegan or vegetarian restaurant is probably a better bet.