Vegan travel ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be, unless you are traveling in an ultra modern city or a nation that reveres its animals as opposed to taking pleasure in killing them, you may struggle. I alway like to try and find some decent guides written by other vegan travelers before I go to a particular city and I always use my Happy Cow app to hep me out, download it now if you don’t already have it. I thought I would contribute to the community myself and when I was in Rome last year I spent a lot of time seeking out the best vegan eateries and generally how best to survive some time in the city as a vegan, so without further ado, here is my vegan guide to Rome.
Don’t Believe the Myths
Despite the level to which Italians adore their creamy cheeses, their cured meats ( and they love their cured meats ) and of course their love of minced beef for their various pastas and pizzas, Italy is actually a really easy place to eat as a vegan. I always found that there were plenty of pasta options for me, salads, beautifully cooked vegetables such as artichokes, aubergines, tomatoes and peppers. The best thing about these options are that they aren’t just ‘things that vegans can eat’ you know how it goes, this doesn’t have any meat products in it, they’ll love it. In Italy and especially Rome I found that people really understood that I actually cared about sustenance and flavor and not just having some food that I was allowed to eat.
Things to Watch Out For
We vegans must be incredibly cautious and if yo are anything like me then you’ll be naturally suspicious of any food in the World unless you’ve prepare sit yourself, even then I have to double check. In Rome it is important to check on the pasta and pizza, very often the fresh pasta is made with eggs, as is the pizza dough, either eggs or lard. Equally important is to check on the risottos, often they add butter to give it that rich and creamy texture. In Rome, even the beans aren’t safe from meat, very often wonderful pulse or bean based dishes are prepared in sauce that uses the flavor of meat so really make sure that you are asking sufficient questions before you dine. These are just watch outs for you to consider, in the main there are usually plenty of meals in all types of restaurants that are very vegan friendly and very delicious.
A Few Phrases
Learning a little bit of the lingo is always good and as vegan, it could prove to be essential when trying to avoid animal products, here are a few phrases that you might need during your time in Rome.
- I’m vegan – “Io sono vegano”
Can I order this without meat or cheese? – “Posso ordinare questo senza carne o formaggio?”
- Excuse me, can you help me please? – “Scusi, mi puo’ aiutare per favore?”
- Can I have a plate of eggless pasta please? – “Posso avere un piatto di pasta senza uova per favore“
- Do you have soy milk please? – “Avete il latte di soia per favore?“
- Without… (e.g, Without cheese) – “Senza formaggio”
- Does this contain lard? – “E’ fatto con lo strutto?”
- Do you have any vegan gelato please? – “Avete il gelato vegano per favore?”
- Can I have a margherita pizza please, no cheese? – “Posso avere una pizza margherita senza mozzarella o formaggio per favore?“