Veganism was once considered a fringe movement but is now firmly making a difference in the lives of health conscious individuals as well as in the food industry. Inspired by environmental and ethical concerns, people from all walks of life are adopting a plant-based diet. Celebs who follow a vegan diet are reaching audiences of millions via social media.
Veganism is a lifestyle that excludes meat, dairy and basically all animal-derived products in one’s life. The major difference between most vegetarians and vegans is that vegetarians may consume dairy products such as milk or curd, or honey from bees which vegans don’t consume. Vegans usually have nut-based milk such as almond milk, cashew milk or coconut milk. This exclusion of all animal products is a way to significantly reduce emissions, water and land use, and address climate change as well as reduce animal cruelty.
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Mahi Baid is the co-founder of Okapi Vegan Kitchen in Aldona along with Aarti Sinha. The café was opened four years ago as a home kitchen and post Covid-19, it has turned into a café and cloud kitchen. “Each and everything in our kitchen is vegan. We also organise different activities for the community like a community dinner where the guests can book a table, cook out, Farmer’s Market, gluten-free bread making workshops, pasta making workshops and workshop for kids on how to make a vegan menu. It is important to be in touch with the people around you. Through the Farmer’s Market, people come across many local producers and the event was zero water. Over the years, we have realised that we are getting more customers who are open to trying vegan food. There is more openness towards trying out new dishes and they love the food,” says Mahi.
Husband-wife duo, Satish Sridhar and Manon Gingold are vegan themselves. However, instead of pushing the concept through their restaurant, Cantine Indienne in Palolem, they focus on good food. “We look for the second level discovery. If they opt to eat vegan food once a week then I would call it a success. Being vegan helps the environment and it makes a difference going from vegetarian to vegan too,” says Manon, who is originally from France and married to Tamil Nadu-based Satish eight years ago.
Known for their delicious and deceptive mushroom dishes, Manon informs that they feel happy when the diners realise that the dishes were actually devoid of any animal products. “Our specialities are in mushroom dishes for which we use mushrooms like Lion’s Mane mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. These are like meat replacements and has great texture, medicinal value and richness in taste. We offer a vegan grilled chicken sandwich which is actually prepared with mushrooms,” says Manon.
As the owner Shawn Rodrigues mentions that Vagator located Bean Me Up was the first vegan restaurant in Goa in 2008. Way back then, the vegan lifestyle was still new to Goa but now it is an expanding community. “Our focus is on lot of healthy and clean food. Every year, we add more dishes and broaden our menu according to the taste of the clients. When we started the vegan culinary scene was still new. But now, the vegan business is big as the community is growing. Most of the ingredients like milk, cheese and vegan meat is available in Goa,” says Shawn.
Veganism has seen a steady rise with the awareness created about the healthy lifestyle. The pandemic was also turning point which made people look closely towards their diet and the health benefits of what they consume. “The restaurant receives a lot of Goans during Shravan but throughout the year, we have a lot of urban Indians and foreigners who are practicing yoga and and are health conscious. There is a lot of awareness through documentaries and TV shows. There is also contamination of food and milk is the most adulterated food item which makes one try either an almond milk or oat milk. People are well informed to make their food and health choices,” explains Shawn, who runs the establishment that is nearly 27 years old.
India’ first and only vegan school is The Vegan School that is based in Porvorim. The school is a plant-based culinary institute that trains to make vegan food nutritious, healthy, and incredibly tasty. Co-founded by Ashish Santhalia and his wife Nisha Garg, they selected Goa as the location as they feel that everyone is comfortable in Goa. Another advantage is the thriving fine dining culture in the state. “There are new restaurants opening and a lot of work opportunities as well good chefs who can be instructors for specialised classes. We recently had a chef who demonstrated the fermentation and bread making method. It is easier to find faculty and expertise as we do a lot of collaborations as well,” says Ashish, who offers nine-weeks courses.
The year and a half old institute is not just attracting the attention of health conscious Indians but are receiving students from all over the world, from Europe, Middle East and the Far East Asia. Nisha herself is a chef with a diploma in plant-based cooking has been working in kitchens worldwide for over a decade. Ashish adds, “Awareness is increasing especially in the cities of India among the young. After Covid-19, a lot more businesses promoting vegan products also opened up. As the young population are health as well as environment conscious, animals rights are important as each life matters that makes them opt for a vegan lifestyle.”
India’s first national plant-based chain, Greenr is also moving to Goa very soon as they will be opening their café at Fontainhas in November. After opening their first café in 2015 in Delhi, they realised Goa offers not just tourism but is also a venue for healthy eating. “We focus on good food, community and sustainability. There is a huge diversity in tourism in Goa for interests and demands. We will be offering 7-8 new dishes which have Goan character. It is culinary refined with rustic food,” says co-founder Nitin Dixit.
