Vegan Middle East invites you to explore the art of Middle Eastern food using plant-based ingredients. Find out what it’s all about and meet the founder…
Who is Vegan Middle East for?
Welcome! If you want to…
- explore exciting Middle Eastern cuisines
- veganise your favourite food
- discover the history and origins behind a dish
- get vegan lifestyle tips
then you’ve come to the right place!
About Vegan Middle East
Do you know how to cook stews with rhubarb and dried limes, rice with walnuts and saffron, cakes with molasses and semolina? The Middle East has amazing regional cuisines, each with distinct flavours and cherished spice combinations.
However, in 2018, I realised how inaccessible online Middle Eastern recipes were. For example, there were very few vegan options, and many recipes assumed a certain level of knowledge about traditional cooking methods. Furthermore, as several languages are spoken across the region, I wanted to record my versions in English. (Please note that this site encourages people to use their native languages and take pride in linguistic diversity.) That’s when I started blogging:
- simple, vegan recipes with common ingredients
- tips on where to buy ingredients, cooking techniques and other resources
Why Vegan
Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular across the globe. Here are the three main reasons to go vegan:
- Animals – prevent animal suffering and exploitation.
- Your Health – statistically it is likely to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, rates of heart disease and other diseases on a balanced vegan diet.
- Environment – reduce your carbon footprint with more impact than giving up your car. Animal agriculture wastes water and land resources, emitting more greenhouse gases than all transportation combined – see Cowspiracy website for facts.
For further information on why to go vegan, please visit the Vegan Society website.
Even if you don’t go completely vegan, you can easily reduce the amount of animal products you eat. Animal products include meat (and fish and fowl), dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt, and eggs.
Meet Cara
Hi, I’m Cara. My parents raised me on wholesome, vegan food with a good understanding of nutrition. Thanks to them, I love being creative in the kitchen using seasonal and foraged plants.
At university, I ventured into international cuisines. I cooked, ate and laughed with friends from around the world. As well as sharing cooking tips, we learned about each other’s cultures – something I am so grateful for! Now, I work full time delivering international summer schools in the hope that young people from around the world make friends and value diverse views, practices and cultures.
My blog has quickly become my after-work passion. I spend evenings and weekends refining recipes, researching the complex histories of dishes, and of course, eating a lot of food.
In conclusion, I want to share Middle Eastern food with the world and build a supportive community to exchange cultural stories and vegan tips.
How to get involved
- Got a question? Contact me
- Join the Vegan Middle East multicultural Instagram community to:
- tell your story (see my latest #cultureexchange project)
- connect and support others trying a vegan lifestyle
- see what I’m up to behind the scenes
- Get fresh recipes and lifestyle tips straight to your inbox. Sign up to the newsletter below: