Students handbook Work package 4 Project Number: 527879-LLP-1-2012-1-DE-LEONARDO-LM Project Acronym: EuroVeg Project Title: EuroVeg - Training of European competency in sustainable, healthy and well-balanced nutrition for professional chefs and caterers Work package 4: Development of Contents Deliverable No: 19 Language: English Disclaimer: This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Consortium © Copyrights by the consortium of EuroVeg. All rights reserved. EuroVeg is a project of and supported by the EU. Documents of EuroVeg may not be reproduced, transferred, distributed or stored without prior written permission by the consortium of EuroVeg (Vegucation). (for permission please s. “Contact”: [email protected]) 1 STUDENTS HANDBOOK (DRAFT) MODULE 1 1. Historical background vegetarianism After studying this chapter you should be able to ● explain the most important historical landmarks with regard to vegetarian diets ● compose dishes for the different variants of vegetarian diets ● identify problematic ingredients for guests adhering to one of these diets ● explain who eats vegetarian diets Table: History of Western Vegetarianism in Quotes Even though the term “vegetarianism” is not mentioned before the middle of the 19th century in the western world, animal products, especially meat, were rarely available for the majority in most of the societies in history. Typical was a largely plant-based diet with occasional animal products like dairy and eggs. Additionally to these © Copyrights by the consortium of EuroVeg. All rights reserved. EuroVeg is a project of and supported by the EU. Documents of EuroVeg may not be reproduced, transferred, distributed or stored without prior written permission by the consortium of EuroVeg (Vegucation). (for permission please s. “Contact”: [email protected]) 2 economic reasons, vegetarianism as a personal, ethical or religious ‘choice’ can be traced back to ancient Greece where it was promoted by philosophers and religious groups alike. Ancient Vegetarianism was highly connected with the idea of non-violence towards animals as well as the idea of health. Throughout the Middle Ages, vegetarianism remained an important component of ascetic life, thought to bring the believer closer to god and a common conception was that eating meat (and eggs and cheese) is a sin. But generally the welfare of animals was less important. The beginning of the early modern period (1500-1800) with their rediscovery of ancient philosophy marked a return of animal ethics in philosophy and vegetarianism in practice. One of the most important and early protagonist in this new rise of vegetarianism is Thomas Tyron (1634-1703) who wrote the probably first vegetarian cookbook in 1691. Since the 19th century, vegetarianism became increasingly more established in philosophy and in practice. In 1821 the first modern vegetarian cookbook was published while 1847 the Vegetarian Society in England was founded and more and more intellectuals began to promote vegetarian diets as morally necessary. The probably most famous vegetarians in the 19th century were Tolstoy and Gandhi. The biggest wave of vegetarianism, that exists till today and is continuously growing, began in the 1970s, when science started to find evidence in support of many ethical arguments as well as the health-benefits of plant-based diets. The latest addition in terms of arguments, which is the impact of the consumption of animal products on the environment, made vegetarian diets a more and more popular way of life. Even though today the concept of vegetarianism is often associated with abstaining from the consumption of flesh but not with the consumption of dairy or eggs, some forms of historical vegetarianism referred to entirely plant- based diets. In order to distinguish the different diets properly, Donald Watson coined the term veganism in 1944 and co-founded the British Vegan Society. Outside the western world vegetarianism was even more common throughout history. For example, Indian religions connect the concept of ‘non-violence’ to vegetarianism, and still until today one finds the biggest percentage of vegetarians in India. 2. Definitions of the different vegetarian diets Ingredient Flesh Eggs Dairy Honey Eggs Dairy Raw Special requirement Raw Diet Vegetarian √ √ √ √ √ (Ovo Lacto) © Copyrights by the consortium of EuroVeg. All rights reserved. EuroVeg is a project of and supported by the EU. Documents of EuroVeg may not be reproduced, transferred, distributed or stored without prior written permission by the consortium of EuroVeg (Vegucation). (for permission please s. “Contact”: [email protected]) 3 Vegan Ovo Vegetarian √ √ √ Lacto Vegetarian √ √ √ Raw vegetarian √ √ √ Raw vegan Only uncooked foods Fruitarian Only parts of the plant that do not harm the plant (fruits) Whole foods vegan diet Only whole foods, un- processed, Buddhist vegetarian diet √ √ No foods from allium family Some variants of the vegetarian diets use only organic ingredients, are low in sodium, low in sugar, or do not contain certain ingredients like gluten, lactose, nuts, or soy. In case of doubt it is always better to thoroughly consult with the customer to ensure the special requirements are fully understood. Care has to be taken about common hidden ingredients: Gelatine from bone materials (hard candy, marshmellows, jelly), milk-derivates (ghee, whey, lactose, casein), chicken broth, lard (refried beans, soup stock), etc. 3. Who eats vegetarian diets? The numbers of vegetarians and vegans vary considerably by country. For example in India, more than 30% of the entire population eats a vegetarian diet, whereas in other countries it is of yet as little as 3%. However, more important for gastronomy is the number of ‘Flexitarians’, a term describing the tendency to regularly choose plant- based meals (especially when eating out in restaurants), but are not strict vegetarians or vegans. This ever growing group of health and environmentally conscious consumers is a very important group to take into consideration, and the numbers are estimated to be around 60% of the population. Additionally, many people have to make alternative food choices based on health reasons. xx% of Europeans for example are lactose intolerant and can not consume dairy products. Further, many people have problems with an elevated cholesterol level, and are advised from their doctor to drastically minimize their consumption of animal products. All in all, the number of people choosing plant-based options is growing rapidly and continuously. 4. Summary In this chapter you were introduced to the variants of the vegetarian diets, who the people are that consume vegetarian diets, and how vegetarianism looked in the ancient world and how it developed in modern times. © Copyrights by the consortium of EuroVeg. All rights reserved. EuroVeg is a project of and supported by the EU. Documents of EuroVeg may not be reproduced, transferred, distributed or stored without prior written permission by the consortium of EuroVeg (Vegucation). (for permission please s. “Contact”: [email protected]) 4 1.3 Why do people in Europe choose to eat (more) vegetarian? After studying this chapter you should be able to ● understand the most common motives of people that choose to eat (more) veggie food ● explain the relationship between food choices and health ● explain the relationship between food choices and environmental problems ● explain the relationship between food choices and world hunger ● explain the basic needs of animals and the conditions in modern animal agriculture ● explain common practices in the production of milk and eggs Introduction In chapter x we already mentioned that there is a huge increasing demand for veggie food and that there are different groups of people choosing to eat vegetarian. No matter if they belong to the smaller group of full-time vegetarians and vegans, or to the bigger group of ‘meat reducers’, the motives are similar for people: They eat less animal products because of health or environmental reasons, diversity in flavour and exploration of new tastes of the vegetarian cuisine, or moral reasons with regard to animals and other humans. Practical use By knowing the main reasons why people eat (more) veggie, you get to know your different (future) customers and their wishes better. Later on, using this information gives you the opportunity to react in the way of presenting your menu, creating adapted recipes, adapt the concept of your restaurant. 1. HEALTH Already Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, said it, over 2000 years ago: Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food. As we have seen in the previous chapter, Hippocrates was a vegetarian. Even though there are new diet trends and fads popping up almost daily, one fact is pretty common sense by now: these days we generally don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits, and we eat too much meat. To put it into more scientific terms: research shows that in many ways vegetarian diets are healthier than typical meat-based diets. Compared with omnivorous diets they contain less saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, arachidonic acid, free radicals or purines and more folate, fibre, antioxidants, phytochemicals and carotenoids. Research studies have found that vegetarians have a lower incidence of obesity, heart disease, high blood © Copyrights