The Minimalist Vegetarian

Belgium: land of fairy tale spires, linguistic animosities, and…a vegetarian city? Well almost. The Guardian reports that Ghent, Flemish city of Medieval renown, has developed an initiative for the city to go ‘veggie’ every Thursday. The reasoning is twofold: for health reasons and to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. Ghent is onto something given that meat production is a rather large contributor of greenhouse gas emissions – estimated from between 15-20% of global emissions. Can other similar initiatives succeed and how do societies culturally adapt such an idea? The key is a minimalist approach.

Cultures change gradually, albeit with the occasional sharp turn in the road. The role of food in a society is of tremendous importance despite the proliferation of an industrial food complex that has slowly worn away culinary traditions. Meat (and fish) still occupies a central position in the culinary hierarchy of most cultures. Simply saying ‘you can’t have it’ often comes across as imperialistic and frequently results in a backlash of hamburger and offal festivals. Nuance is key here and Ghent is on the right track.

The minimalist would try and reduce meat consumption by one or two days a week. I myself have done this, and while I enjoy my brusque and rustic meats, I find a break from this style of cooking refreshing. The budgetary benefits also speak for themselves, particularly in this economy. For many, this may be adapted begrudgingly. There is frequently an association between vegetarianism and flavour impoverishment. While this isn’t entirely true, this perception is mired by the overuse of soya as a meat substitute. Soya, even when organically grown, comes with its own ecological challenges, particularly considering its cash crop status. This isn’t to say soya should be eliminated from a vegetarian diet, but that trying to substitute meat goes against the spirit of truly delicious vegetarian cooking. This is the spirit of minimalist cooking – the best ingredients with a minimum of fuss to showcase those ingredients.

The New York Times ‘Minimalist’ in the food and wine section recently featured a simple recipe of asparagus, morels mushrooms, and cream with herbs and shallots. Mind you vegetarian does not equal vegan – eggs, cheese, butter, and cream are all permitted. In the spirit of reducing one’s carbon footprint however, try and ensure these ingredients are organic (it makes a big difference when consuming dairy) and try to minimise your use of dairy, both from an ecological and health perspective. Pulses and grains in concert provide an abundance of protein and nutrients and can be supplemented by seasonal produce year round. It’s all in the spices to accentuate and meld those flavours. Bulgar wheat and chickpeas are a good example. Mushrooms have a flavour intensity and complexity that can rival beef.

Keep it simple. The entire contents of your vegetable larder need not be thrown into the pot. Vegetarian cooking is not a tornado of plants. It’s plants, grains, and pulses working together to create a harmonious balance of flavours – without meat and its texture. Avoiding meat at restaurants is also a good strategy as it is often low quality unless you are going to a more upmarket place. So have the meat free day or two. Don’t preach, just share and enjoy. Remember to celebrate your vegetables and that a soya patty or nugget is not the path for enjoying delicious minimal vegetarian cookery.