A survey carried out in time for National Vegetarian Week has revealed what us veggies have always known: vegetarians aren't the pious, salad-munching martyrs we're so often made out to be; in fact, we enjoy a bit of good old fashioned comfort food as much as the next person. We also have a much better idea about decent-tasting food and nutrition than our average flesh-eating counterpart, and are far more likely to be concerned about the environment.
Just like meat-eaters, the study shows,the nation’s veggies love curry, sausages and pies with less than 2% choosing a salad as their favourite food, the survey found. Follow the jump for the full list of veggie favourites.
Top ten veggie dishes
1. Veggie curry
2. Veggie lasagne
3. Veggie stir-fry
4. Falafel
5. Veggie sausages
6. Veggie pies
7. Risottos
8. Nut roast
9. Veggie bolognaise
10. Veggie chilli
The survey also reveals that veggies are real foodies. An impressive 72 per cent enjoy cooking with over 53 per cent preferring to cook meals from scratch and 45 per cent like to mix home cooking with using vegetarian convenient foods or ready meals. “This is a fascinating statistic. Contrary to the opinion of some celebrity chefs, vegetarians do love their food. It’s just a shame that so few TV cookery programmes include good veggie recipes in their shows,” said Liz O’Neill from The Vegetarian Society.
Not only are vegetarians interested in food; we're a committed bunch. Unlike faddy dieters, over 50 per cent of respondents have been vegetarians for over 10 years and a staggering 10 per cent have been veggies for over 30 years!
Topically, environmental issues are key to vegetarians staying vegetarians. Almost 90 per cent of those questioned worry about the effect meat-eating has on the planet. Nearly 70 per cent worry about the amount of land needed to farm animals and almost 50 per cent are concerned by the amount of water needed.
From: BEST OF 2008: Eco-friendy and sustainable shoes