How Do You Say "Vegan" in German?

Vegan.

Well, that was easy. German isn't supposed to be easy. It is of course pronounced differently, kinda like "vay-gon"...

It may come as a surprise to those who have an image of Germany as the European epicenter of carnivorous abundance - Schnitzel, Sauerbraten, more varieties of Wurst than there are garden gnomes, etc. - but Veganismus has been on the rise in Germany over the last decade or so faster than in the USA and anywhere else in Europe. In fact, the capital city Berlin is considered to now be among the most vegan-friendly cities in the world.

Even McDonald's is getting in on the act in Deutschland, with vegan burger "meat" developed by Nestlé

As of 2018, there were around eight million vegetarians in Germany, of which 1.3 million (approx. 1.6% of the population) identify themselves as vegan, meaning they abstain from consumption of all animal products, including eggs and dairy - up from 900,000 just four years ago. Veganism is also trending in the USA, but not at the same pace as in Germany, at around 0.5% vegan.

Such a significant and rapid shift in consumer habits has obviously resulted in a response from the market. In the last few years, Germany has launched more vegan food products than any other country, supermarket chains like Edeka and Aldi are including more vegan-friendly products besides just fruits and vegetables, like tofu and ready-made vegan dinners, and there has been a commensurate increase in veganism blogs, Youtube channels, Facebook sites, online retailers, trade fairs, and even new all-vegan supermarkets.

Veganz is Europe's first vegan supermarket chain.

But following a vegan diet doesn't necessarily mean giving up on traditional German cuisine altogether. Vegan soy Bratwurst is trending, for example, as well as Schnitzel substitutes like fried cabbage rolled in bread crumbs. We even found a vegan Bavarian cookbook with a recipe for vegan Leberkäse. And of course pretty much all beer is vegan. :)

The Oktoberfest Bier is vegan. The Gnome in the funny hat...not so much.

But let's come back home for a minute...as we mentioned, veganism is also gaining popularity in this country, if not at the same pace as in Germany - that's why we decided to partner with Orlando Vegans to plan the first Vegan Night at Hollerbach's in August 2019. Which sold out less than a week after being offered on our website. So obviously we have to hold another one!

Our next Vegan Night is scheduled for November 20, and tickets are now available on our website hollerbachs.com, as well as info on the special three-course meal being offered.