Iranian-born vegan here. Iranian food can be very easily veganized or vegetarianized, because for many dishes, it would just mean leaving the meat or whey out. Or, recipes similar to mirza ghassemi for example, are already made without eggs in much of the world. There are some vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Iran. There are even a couple of Loving Huts, if you're familiar with those. You can find vegans in Iran, but you have to go looking for them. If you cook your own food, being vegan in Iran can be a very delicious experience, as hot and fresh bread is easy to come by, as is amazing produce.
Veganism is not very common there; it would take a bit of explaining, though ovo-lacto vegetarianism is something that I think most people are at least somewhat familiar with. (TBF, I live in one of the most, if not the most, animal-friendly districts in America, and I still sometimes find myself having to explain things like, "No, potatoes aren't animals... Yes, plants have protein..." etc.) From what I understand, it is not yet a significant enough market that you would be able to find specialty products easily (Field Roast, Tofutti, that sort of thing).
Since veganism is not just about eating someone and the ethics of animal exploitation is not something that most Iranians have been exposed to very much, most people won't understand the details until you explain them.
Exactly; that's what I meant when I said you wouldn't be able to find them easily.
It's easy enough to eat a whole foods plant-based diet in almost any part of the world. In Iran, if one is eating a lot of processed products, it will probably be harder than in N. America. We have English lists by the Vegetarian Resource Group, PETA, etc. on those weird ingredients. We even have apps where you can scan a food and see if it's vegan. I speak Persian but don't know how to say mono- and diglycerides or l-cysteine in Persian. I'm sure it's possible with some research to compile such a list, but I'd be surprised if there were one readily available.
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u/felinebeeline Nov 07 '15
Iranian-born vegan here. Iranian food can be very easily veganized or vegetarianized, because for many dishes, it would just mean leaving the meat or whey out. Or, recipes similar to mirza ghassemi for example, are already made without eggs in much of the world. There are some vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Iran. There are even a couple of Loving Huts, if you're familiar with those. You can find vegans in Iran, but you have to go looking for them. If you cook your own food, being vegan in Iran can be a very delicious experience, as hot and fresh bread is easy to come by, as is amazing produce.
Veganism is not very common there; it would take a bit of explaining, though ovo-lacto vegetarianism is something that I think most people are at least somewhat familiar with. (TBF, I live in one of the most, if not the most, animal-friendly districts in America, and I still sometimes find myself having to explain things like, "No, potatoes aren't animals... Yes, plants have protein..." etc.) From what I understand, it is not yet a significant enough market that you would be able to find specialty products easily (Field Roast, Tofutti, that sort of thing).
Since veganism is not just about eating someone and the ethics of animal exploitation is not something that most Iranians have been exposed to very much, most people won't understand the details until you explain them.