EATING AND DRINKING

by Stefana Serafina

October 22, 2010

While by no means a new phenomenon, the vegetarian lifestyle has earned increasing numbers of adherents in the West over the past decade. While some vegetarians consider their choice to eat a meatless diet as a sacrifice for better health, many see it instead as an integral part of a lifestyle that embodies respect for all living creatures, animal rights and a wholesome, healthy planet. Many cities have developed multiple resources for vegetarians, helping foster not only a meatless diet, but vegetarianism as an active attitude about making a better world.

In recent years, the preference for plant-based food and beverages, animal cruelty-free cosmetic products and clothes that don’t require the killing of animals to be manufactured has made itself a commercial force. Even ‘mega’ corporations like Starbucks, Subway and Burger King are addressing vegetarian and vegan diets among their customers, offering dairy-free beverages and vegetarian meals around the globe. It is safe to say that vegetarianism has irreversibly entered the mainstream.

However, in blogs and on-line forums, anxious first-time visitors to this city often worry along the lines of, “Oh my God, I’m going to Barcelona. What will I eat?” But in reality, although Spain isn’t necessarily known for vegetarian inclinations, once in Barcelona the vegetarian’s worries are quickly dispelled.

In Barcelona, there are over 40 restaurants and markets dedicated to providing meat-free meals, according to Happy Cow, one of the world’s largest on-line vegetarian guides, and the figure is echoed by the Barcelona-based web for vegetarians, Sin Carne. A poll by the Happy Cow guides recently listed New York, San Francisco, London, Singapore and Portland, Oregon as the top five places for providing an easy, enjoyable vegetarian lifestyle. And although Barcelona isn’t even found amongst the runner-ups (Chiang Mai in Thailand, Toronto, Canada, and Taipei, Taiwan), it still ranks 19th in the world in the number of vegetarian restaurants and cafés, coming in just after San Francisco. With places like Amaltea, Veg World, Sesamo, Vegetalia, Juicy Jones, Maoz and Organic, the Catalan capital seems equipped to respond to any vegetarian caprice.

“The attitudes towards the concept of vegetarianism have definitely changed over the last decade in Barcelona,” said Mads Rademacher, the Danish man whose Juicy Jones offers a vegan alternative—–meals that don’t contain any animal by-products—to Barcelona’s ‘old-fashioned’ vegetarian cuisine with less flavour, eggs and dairy in the ingredients, and an often unappetising presentation. The vegan lifestyle opposes all forms of cruelty to animals, and its adherents eat no cheese, eggs or butter, and wear no clothes or shoes made of leather. It is not popular in Barcelona, although the concept isn’t unknown, and groups like Acción Vegana do exist. In addition to Juicy Jones, other places cater to vegans, like the venerable vegetarian Indian restaurant Govinda, which was the first in the city to do so.

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by Stefana Serafina

October 22, 2010

Latest Comments

  • cheapter shopping

    Although Veritas can be good in a pinch it will drain your pocketbook in a hurry. Those vegetarians in the know buy their tofu for a 1/3 of the price at Asian markets, for example the one near the University metro. I also highly recommend scouring ethnic stores in the Raval. Indian and other veggie foods can be found there for fantastic prices.

    Posted by Laura N March 12, 2010 22:19:48

  • vegetarian products

    There is a good selection of vegetarian products at a Taste of Home, english Supermarket in C/Floridablanca 78. These include Quorn, Linda McCartney, many Soya ready meals and mixes. There are lots of frozen ready meals for vegetarians.

    Posted by Inge Barker July 02, 2009 15:50:31

  • Thanks

    Thanks Ant May! Will be using your map next week.

    Posted by June 08, 2009 07:22:22

  • Vegetarians in barcelona

    Not a very well rounded article and not exactly factual. For example: veganism and vegetarianism have very different points of view. In the UK when asked if you're a vegetarian they'll respond, ahh.. nutcutlet or vege burger. Here it's "oh there's green salad and olives, and you don't mind paying half when I eat the lobster".

    Having lived here 3 years it's still difficult to eat out in 95% of spanish bars and restaurants. It's mainly always a la carte and there's so few menu del dias it's untrue. In fact it hasn't radically changed in the 9 years I've been visiting here. There are a few more places, but you can only just get a bit too fed up of the same menu.

    There are so few places in barcelona to eat as a vegetarian and even then the quality of the food is not exactly tops. Like other places in mainland europe most vegetarians have learned to find a Sikh restaurant or as normal a 4 quesos pizza. Eating out well in vegetarian restaurants, to date I've only found "Habulac" and "L'hortet" to be a stage above the rest [possibly you could take someone there to eat for business].

    Sure there's a lot of buffet places, but I don't count them as being a place to wine and dine a future partner to get married!

    There are so few vegetarian options and if you don't eat fish, then you're really quite stuffed.

    In northern spain/cataluna per se, the diet is still high meat to veg. Ideally the best places to eat would be local veg dishes in Granada and Extremadura.

    As well as Happy Cow, SinCarne is also a place to go. I've made a google map for anyone who'd like to take a look of vege places I've discovered while being here. Although I cannot vouch for all, it's a reasonable place to start your own investigations.

    http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102418814097969820952.0004346f7007198e83c49&z=13

    Posted by Ant May 18, 2009 19:58:04

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