Vegetarian dishes

Vegetable dishes

A vegetable dish can be a main course in a Turkish meal. A large variety of vegetables is used, such as spinach, leek, cauliflower, artichoke, cabbage, celery, eggplant, green and red bell peppers, string bean and jerusalem artichoke. A typical vegetable dish is prepared with a base of chopped onions, carrots sautéed first in olive oil and later with tomatoes or tomato paste. The vegetables and hot water will then be added. Quite frequently a spoon of rice and lemon juice is also added. Vegetable dishes usually tend to be served with its own water (the cooking water) thus often called in colloquial Turkish sulu yemek literally “a dish with juice”). Minced meat can also be added to a vegetable dish but vegetable dishes that are cooked with olive oil (zeytinyağlılar) are often served cold and do not contain meat. Spinach, leek, string bean and artichoke with olive oil are among the most widespread dishes in Turkey.

Dolma is the name used for stuffed vegetables. Like the vegetables cooked with olive oil as described above dolma with olive oil does not contain meat. Many vegetables are stuffed, most typically green peppers (biber dolması), eggplants, tomatoes, courgettes, or Zucchini in the U.S. (kabak dolması), vine leaves (yaprak dolması). If vine leaves are used, they are first pickled in brine. However, dolma is not limited to these common types; many other vegetables and fruits are stuffed with a meat and/or rice mixture. For example, artichoke dolma (enginar dolması) is an Aegean region specialty. Fillings used in dolma may consist of parts of the vegetable carved out for preparation, rice with spices and/or minced meat.

Mercimek köfte, although being named köfte, does not contain any meat. Instead, red lentil is used as the major ingredient together with spring onion, tomato paste etc.

Imam bayildi is a version of karnıyarık with no minced meat inside. It can be served as a meze as well.

Fried eggplant and pepper is a common summer dish in Turkey. It is served with yoghurt or tomato sauce and garlic.
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Vegetarianism in China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vegetarianism has been practised for almost two thousand years in China for both religious and philosophical reasons, and its practitioners have included famous historical figures such as Cao Cao, a warlord of the Three Kingdoms, and the 6th Century emperor Wu, the founder of the Liang Dynasty of southern China.

Vegetarian cooking takes at least three recognized forms:

* Plain vegetable dishes, commonly served at home or in ordinary restaurants.
* Imitation meat dishes derived from Qing court cuisine, which use gluten, beancurd, and taro to mimic the natural attributes of meat, fowl, and fish.
* Buddhist cooking, which often avoids onions, ginger, garlic and other spices considered stimulating.

Options for vegetarians in China today

Options for strict vegetarians in Chinese restaurants today are still rather limited, despite a growing interest in vegetarian cuisine.

Vegetables are considered intrinsically healthy, but the Chinese have also traditionally believed that they lack any physically fortifying properties, and strict vegetarian diets are unusual except for religious reasons. There is also, generally speaking, a stigma attached to not eating meat.

Vegetable-only dishes are widely available, though cooking fat and stocks are usually of animal origin.
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Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism is not uncommon or unusual in China, though, as is the case in the West, it is only practiced by a relatively small proportion of the population. Most Chinese vegetarians are Buddhists, following the Buddhist teachings about minimizing suffering. Chinese vegetarian dishes often contain large varieties of vegetables (e.g. bok choy, shiitake mushroom, sprouts, corn) and some imitation meat. Such imitation meat is created mostly with soy protein and/or wheat gluten to imitate the texture, taste, and appearance of duck, chicken, or pork. Imitation seafood items, made from other vegetable substances such as konjac, are also available.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cuisine

Human Beings:
Meat-eaters or Vegetarians?