A country that still has a far too big number of people who consider bull-fighting a tradition, the cruelty-free lifestyle is gaining strength in Portugal. There are new annual events, vegan cooking course, small business is beginning to adopt an eco-friendly approach to the workspace, and, new brands pop up every year, in cruelty-free fashion, eco-friendly home decoration, and, in the eco-tourism sector.
LOCAL VEGAN FOOD BLOGGERS
Like everywhere else, creative vegans are popping up around the world. Portugal is no exception. You might find a million recipes for the same dip. But they’re never the same. Each vegan food blogger adds a taste of their country to classic, well known recipes. That’s the beauty of the vegan world. It is so creative.
PLACES TO EAT
Some might say, a truck running about every day is just adding on to the already polluted city. Lisbon is indeed a polluted city, boasting one of Europe’s highest pollution levels in the entire EU.
It’s easy to forgive, though, when you realise that this truck places itself front and centre in one of the city’s main arteries offering good, fresh, organic vegan food. Easy access = business.
Potentially, there is a new clientele every day in big bustling city like Lisbon. That’s great PR for the vegan diet.
My Green Truck in Lisbon, Portugal
Being Portuguese myself, nothing makes me happier than to see so many people getting creative with local classics and giving it the vegan twist. It’s the reason the Portuguese vegan community is growing.
WHERE TO EAT
A year ago, I’d go out for a meal and the best I could count on would be a salad or soup. Hardly any restaurant had a reasonable vegan menu to offer me. A year ago.
But a year later, the plant-based regime has gained traction and we, local vegans, are discovering new places – vegan bars, restaurants, vegan cafés. Not only in Lisbon or Porto, but in Coimbra, Algarve, Aveiro!
Like the rest of southern Europe, short-term rentals have taken over from mainstream hotel chains. The younger visitor likes the homeliness of staying in a home rather than a hotel, while the more mature visitor enjoys the simplicity of bringing the kids, the extended family and pets for all to stay together in a fully-equipped private home. This trend has lead to another – the eco-friendly short-stay properties.
THINGS TO BUY
Portugal has always had a reputation for quality work in the shoe-making industry. Up North, Portuguese factories have been producing for major global brands for the last 2-3 decades non stop.
For the last few years, old factories, feeling the bite of lower consumption worldwide, have taken a new approach to their inherited business and transformed the old factories from producing leather shoes to producing cruelty-free shoes.
That is what Rutz did. And this year, in 2020, the brand is investing heavily in showcasing their vegan shoes to the world at Macef, in Milan. There is no bigger trade fair in the world for the shoe industry.
The Portuguese are getting creative and new cruelty-free businesses are popping up every day.
Rutz – Vegan shoes made in Portugal
To finish, food. Every classical dish is getting its brand new take by veganistas across the country. My personal favourite is the cod-less vegan dish, the vegan version of one of Portugal’s most loved dishes. A clever mix of mushrooms and seaweed really does match or supercede the taste of the original.
I found this recipe over at Tugavegetal.com and I’ve made it many, many times. For those who don’t read Portuguese, the recipe is easy to follow.
Ingredients for white sauce:
500ml of boiling water
1 c. dried wakame seaweed soup
2 c. vegetable butter soup
C. flour soup
2 c. lemon juice soup
400ml of vegetable cream (I used soy)
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Other ingredients:
1kg of potatoes
600gr of fresh pleurotus mushrooms
2 leeks, sliced
2 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup (80ml) of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for brushing
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know what you thought.
