The question we get quite often: is it possible to be vegan or vegetarian in Georgia? Are you doomed for starving? Or the opposite, will you find lots of dishes to eat in each and every restaurant and bar? Today I will cover that for you from my perspective, being vegetarian for over 19 years now with some episodes of being on vegan diet.
Let’s start with the traditional Georgian cuisine. The fact is that meat is a very popular ingredient of majority of dishes in Georgia. I would say the traditional Georgian food is based on many fresh ingredients with several spices that are good for your health and digestion. Even now many dishes you can order in restaurants are simple ones, not prepared with pre-made products. The additional trait of the Georgian cuisine is that it’s flour-based which may not be helpful for your digestion if you aren’t used to it.
Is the fasting Georgian food really vegan?
According to Georgian Church there are days when you should restrain from eating anything animal-related and fast. My experience is that the approach to fasting varies between families based on the level of them being devoted to their religion and based on family traditions. Nevertheless, for many the fasting food was an equivalent of vegan, so no meat, dairy, eggs, animal-based oils etc. I know many people who prior to traveling to Georgia were learning the phrase ‘fasting food’ so they can order from this part of the menu.
When being a vegan or vegetarian in Georgia you should remember that this doesn’t give you one hundred percent guarantee there will be no e.g. butter or meat-based broth used in your dish. The reason for this is as I mentioned, the understanding of Georgian food for fasting may vary among people. It is similar to Catholic church in Poland for example where you are not allowed to each meat, but you can eat fish when fasting. Although fish is an animal as well.
Is potato khinkali good for a vegan and a vegetarian in Georgia?
This question about potato or mushroom khinkali I hear a lot from people who are vegan or vegetarian in Georgia. The simple answer is no. In all the flour-based pies, dumpling-type dishes there is a high probability at least butter and/or Georgian yoghurt-like matsoni was used. You may not taste it but it is often used during a dough preparation. That is why even if there is a dish with vegetables as main ingredients you may assume high chances of these two being added.
What to eat as a vegan or vegetarian in Georgia?
I am vegetarian so for me eating in Georgia is much easier now that when I was vegan for some time. For vegetarians, there are options with cheese, potatoes pies (ghvezeli) or khinkali without meat. One of the dishes that may be acceptable is ajapsandali which is mixed vegetables baked together in an oven. There is always a bit of a risk that someone would use an animal-based oil but from my experience it is rather rare. Luckily plant-based oils are cheaper which may be one of the reasons.
Nevertheless, it’s always better to ask if you have doubts. Once I saw in a menu “fried potatoes” and I asked if these are just the potatoes and the surprised waiter answered ‘No, these are fried together with meat’. If you want to ask a bit in Georgian in the Georgian restaurant use our seris of articles about it or chech out our video lesson.
The same goes for lobio dish and lobiani. One is a thick beans soup, the second flour-based pie-like dish with the beans filling. I saw several recipies for both of these dishes and not all of them were meat-based broth free.
Will you starve as vegan or vegetarian in Georgia?
Normally I don’t eat lots of flour based dishes – I prefer whole grains with vegetables, tofu and other goodies. When in Georgia, one of the ways I manage to keep it similar is to buy fruits and vegetables at the local markets and just eat at the restaurants the bare minimum of hot dishes. Georgian tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, herbs, carrots and lots of fruits are just phenomenally tasty and you can really survive on it during your stay in Georgia.
Usually, I buy everything I don’t need to cook and can eat it raw. Especially if you travel to Georgia in summer or autumn you will find many fruits and vegetables at the local markets or even sold on the pavement.
Where can I get tofu and soy milk as a vegan in Georgia?
I have been observing Georgian vegan and vegetarian reality already for over 15 years now and only recently there are some possibilities to buy tofu or plant-based drinks aka milk. However, you will not find these is each and every shop in town but mainly in supermarkets in Tbilisi or other biggest cities in Georgia. Still there are very few vegans and vegetarians in Georgia so the produce is not easily accessible.
Additionally, it may happen that people would not understand the concept of veganism or may mix it with being vegetarian simply because there are still very few Georgians on vegan and vegetarian diets. There were even some TV programs about that does it mean and how these few Georgians can cope and prepare the dishes for themselves. Based on their stories the concept is still not that much grounded in the Georgian society.
My observations are that it started changing with the wave of expats living in Tbilisi. Then the soy milk and almond milk started being available in the fancy cafes in the city center. Additionally, I found a couple of vegan restaurants in Tbilisi with full tofu-quinoa dishes which however were 2-3 times more expensive than a dinner in a non-vegan restaurant albeit very tasty.
To sum up, being vegan or vegetarian in Georgia for sure you may need to put more effort into finding the dishes for you and to balance your diet not to eat bread all the time. For sure more than meat-eaters. Nevertheless, it is possible to eat a lot and eat very tasty, especially if you focus on the seasonal produce and not hope of ready-to-heat vegan dishes in Georgia. When I first traveled to Georgia, I was already vegetarian and I can tell you I was never hungry when staying there.