Vegan food is becoming a great alternative for animal products, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vegan products are setting the trend around the world. But do you know eating a little meat or consuming vegetarian food is not surprising in several countries?

For instance, for centuries, before European centralization, vegetarian food was the main food in Africa.

Afia Amoako, an author, said,

“What Ghana and many countries with growing economies are seeing are nutritional transitions. As more people enter the middle class, there is more appetite for things that might have been difficult to have much of as children. This includes more cars and for many having more supply of meat. It doesn’t help that fast food companies are seeing our largely unregulated food system as a market for potential growth.”

Plant-Based Traditional African Dishes

Today, several restaurants are adding vegan products on their menu. Many Ethiopian restaurants are showing the diversity of plant-based dishes. Amoako shared different cuisines from around Africa. Her goal is to make African cuisines available to all.

Zimbabwean blogger, Tendai Chipara, started to consume a plant-based diet after she was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in 2018. Earlier, she suffered from anemia, depression, and other problems. Not only this, but vegetarian diets also relieve arthritis. She said,

“I realized that I was going down a slippery slope that would end up with me without limbs, blind or worse dead. Looking at evidence-based research the most successful way to deal with insulin resistance is to adopt a whole food plant-based diet.”

She explains meat is usually added to enhance flavor. She has left meat and started adding soy chunks and mushrooms. Fermented food is common in Zimbabwe and includes sweet potatoes, horned melon, and pumpkin in meals. Plant-based trends are not new in Zimbabwe. She added,

“Our ancestors followed a plant-based diet and they thrived and most died of old age. The food they ate was organic and meat and meat products were consumed minimally. We now have a high number of the population being affected by lifestyle-related issues such as type-2 diabetes. So I am very passionate about Zimbabwean plant-based cuisine because it is medicine.”

Another blogger, Tomi Makanjuola, explains that plant-based stewed plains with plantain. Other common ingredients that an African vegetarian diet includes cocoyam, cassava, and egusi seeds. She added,

“As long as the meals are spiced well, it won’t seem as though you’re missing out on anything. Nigerian cuisine is wonderfully diverse and big on flavour. It lends itself well to a vegan diet because it is so rich in plant foods that can be cooked and enjoyed in ways that do not require meat or any other animal products.”

Some Replace Meat With Mushrooms

Fatimat Adelabu, the author of the blog, said,

“One of my favorite dishes is efo riro, stirred spinach in Yoruba. Efo riro is largely spinach and blended stew, with seasonings like locust beans, thyme, and bouillon cubes to bring out the flavors of the stew. The addition of meat is usually to get more of the flavors of the meat to infuse with the stew.”

She replaced meat with mushrooms. She said-

“For stock, I boil mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic and onion with a dash of soy sauce or mushroom bouillon.”

Meat consumption is increased in different countries. However, there is also a rise in vegan and vegetarians options. Older Nigerians are cutting down meat from their meals for health reasons.

Concluding Words

Veganism is making a strong impact on the food industry. Several food brands are offering plant-based versions of many dishes to the supermarket.