It’s exciting to try local cuisine that’s made from vegan recipes when you travel overseas and even better if you can bring those recipes home. But sometimes it’s difficult to replicate those vegan recipes once you’re back in your kitchen.
Here are some handy hints on how you have the best chance at bringing vegan recipes home and cooking them successfully.
Travel with exclusively vegan travel guides and companies
When you travel with local vegan guides and companies, you have the best chance at taking a local vegan cooking class. You may even be allowed to keep the vegan recipes afterwards. Where you travel will be a good indication about what kinds of cuisines you’ll encounter.
Before you decide to travel, research the vegan companies and guides that operate in the places you want to visit. Local government websites, vegan resources like Happy Cow or international content creators can offer a wealth of knowledge. You’ll then be able to decide where you can go, and where you can eat and travel in a vegan-friendly way.
Think local, go local
Localised vegan travel is the best way to uncover vegan cooking classes and foods. More often than not, local travel will help you uncover various cuisines that are only found in a particular region. If you travel local, you have a great chance at supporting a local vegan business with strong ties to local vegan food experts.
Does a vegan recipe have that special ‘something’?
A local recipe isn’t local unless it uses a special ingredient you can’t get at home. Or, a recipe uses a common ingredient in a way you never expect it to be used. This is when you’ll uncover some of the best vegan food your destination has to offer.
Ask your local guide or cooking class instructor where you can buy specific ingredients. Then, you can buy some before you head home. Remember to buy ingredients in commercial packaging with a clear list of ingredients. Once you arrive at the airport at home, make sure you declare these items so you can ensure you’re not breaking biosecurity laws. Fines and potential jail-time are not worth it if you plan to conceal these items knowingly. Not only is it illegal, it’s irresponsible and unethical.
What if your ingredients don’t make it through customs?
Look up specialty grocery stores in your city and you might be able to find them successfully. Or, look in online stores and you might be able to order it in another city in your country (pending any border-force laws).
If all else fails, find a local vegan food expert in your city
Research any vegan food experts in your city and reach out to them. They might be able to tell you how to make a dish without a particular ingredient. Better still, they might be able to tell you what to use instead. You might not get the exact taste but you can get pretty close!
Some handy resources:
- Vegvisits: the ‘airbnb’ for vegans and vegetarians
- HappyCow: worldwide food directory for vegans
- PeTA: resource for vegan travel articles and which companies to travel with
- Eco BnB: resource for best vegan travel apps
