Being Vegan in East Africa

'Vegan' and 'Africa' are not two words you often see in the same sentence... This blog describes our experience of veganism in East Africa (specifically Kenya and Tanzania). We're here to tell you that veganism is no picnic but definitely achievable in East Africa!

As many of you know, Ed and I are vegan (and proud!). Veganism is a lifestyle choice we both feel strongly about and something that caused us both a bit of concern when planning our travels. Would we have to be more flexible with our dietary choices in countries which may not have even heard of veganism?

Green gram, traditional greens and chipati

Whenever we explain to Kenyans/Tanzanians that we don't eat meat, they often laugh heartily with incredulous expressions on their faces. But after the laughing has abaited, we have always managed to obtain a meat-free meal. Mostly these meals consist of: rice, chapatis, beans, lentils and vegetables. Of particular popularity, a dish known as 'green gram' is often offered. This dish is similar to a lentil dhal, often with coconut flavours and served with a large pile of chapatis (savoury pancakes made from: wheat flour, salt and water).

Rice, chipati, dhal and veg at Masai Mara, Kenya.

Rice, chipati, noodles, green gram, traditional greens, squash and beans at Narok, Kenya.

Green gram, chipati and ugali at Mfangano Island, Kenya.

We've also eaten biriyani, salads, spaghetti and a range of other dishes.

Avocado, cous-cous and tomato salad at Fifi's, Arusha, Tanzania.

For breakfast we've mainly eaten lots of delicious fresh fruit: pineapple, mango, papaya, watermelon and avocado - fyi avocados are HUGE in Africa. All served with Kenyan tea (which is both sweet and strong). Although veganism is clearly not something many locals have encountered before, maintaining the diet hasn't been a problem. The biggest problem we have faced has probably been eggs: it's easy to avoid meat (and Ed and I are both used to doing so); cheese and milk aren't common at all in East Africa; but eggs are frequently eaten and served as the vegetarian alternative. We've found the easiest way of preventing this is just to tell restaurants/hotels/tour guides right from the start that "we don't eat meat or eggs" . This way you avoid a situation where you feel as though you have to eat eggs/dairy out of politeness - this has happened to us on a couple of occasions. So! To conclude this slightly rambling blog, we want to let our families know that we are not wasting away! We have managed to eat delicious (if occassionally slightly bland/monotonous) food everywhere we've visited. Some vegan links for y'all: Click here if you want to know where your meat, dairy and eggs come from (Youtube).

Click here if you want to know what your consumption of meat, dairy and eggs is doing to the planet (Netflix). Click here if you want to know what your consumption of meat, dairy and eggs is doing to your health (Netflix).

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