Food - keep me meat free

by Diane B
(Bristol UK)

Healthy vegetarian food

Hi,

I'm a vegetarian who doesn't eat meat or fish.

How can I make sure I'm not eating something I don't want to?

Photos Wikipedia public domain

Response to Food - keep me meat free

by Rita

Hi Diane,

The best thing is to know all the German words of foods you don't eat. So here are the most important translations.

A vegetarian is der Vegetarier in German. Vegetarian implies for most Germans "meatless" = fleischlos, so you better add "Ich esse auch keinen Fisch" (I don't eat fish either)

Most restaurants have a small vegetarian section on their menu "Vegetarische Gerichte", delicious dishes with Kartoffeln (potatoes), Gemüse (vegetables), and Pilzen (mushrooms), often prepared with a Sahnesosse (rich creamy sauce).

If you are vegan (Veganer), and don't eat any tierische Produkte (animal products) things become more difficult. Vegetarian dishes often include Sahne (cream), Käse (cheese) and Eier (eggs). Don't hesitate to ask and tell them what you want. A good restaurant will prepare you a dish not on the menu.

Other words related to Fleisch (meat) are Rindfleisch (beef), Schweinefleisch (pork), Schnitzel (snitzel), Wurst (sausage) and Schinken (ham).
Suppe (soup) is often based on a Fleischbrühe (meat broth), either Huhn (chicken) or beef.

Most Germans love to eat meat, but don't hesitate to ask and tell them what you want.

Rita