World Vegan Day: Plant-based traditions of Ukraine and Japan

On 1 November, people around the world mark World Vegan Day. 

The celebration began in 1994, when the Vegan Society in the United Kingdom commemorated the 50th anniversary of its founding and of the introduction of the word “vegan.” The day invites us to reflect on care for nature, concern for animals, and the choices we make about what we eat.

Plant-based diets have a history stretching back centuries and are closely connected with the spiritual traditions of different peoples. Today, millions of people in different corners of the world choose plant-based food for religious, ethical, or environmental reasons. In Ukraine, the practice of abstaining from animal products for extended periods developed over centuries through the Orthodox system of fasting, which traditionally covers roughly half the days of the year.

The Orthodox calendar includes different degrees of fasting, as well as fasting days on Wednesdays and Fridays. Four major fasts are observed: Great Lent before Easter, the Apostles’ Fast in early summer, the Dormition Fast in August, and the Nativity Fast from 15 November to 24 December under the revised calendar. Fasting generally involves abstaining from meat, eggs, and dairy products, while the consumption of fish, oil, and wine depends on the rules for a particular day. As a result, many traditional Ukrainian fasting dishes are entirely plant-based. As far back as the Kyivan State, grains, peas, broad beans, cabbage, and mushrooms played an important role in local food culture. Over the following centuries, fasting cuisine gained new ingredients and methods of preparation.

In Japan, a related tradition is known as shojin ryori (精進料理, devotion cuisine), the plant-based cooking associated with Buddhist temples. Its roots reach back to the introduction of Buddhism in the sixth century, while its monastic culinary principles developed considerably under the influence of Zen Buddhism, especially from the thirteenth century onwards. Respect for living beings and a balance of five tastes and five colours are central to this cuisine. Traditional shojin ryori avoids meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products, as well as five pungent plants, including garlic and onions, which are believed to interfere with spiritual concentration.

Ukrainian fasting cuisine and Japanese shojin ryori have much in common. Both value seasonal ingredients, careful use of the harvest, and fermented foods that lend depth to dishes. In Ukrainian fasting dishes, stock made from dried wild mushrooms can bring a rich umami flavour; in Japanese monastic cooking, a similar depth is achieved with broth made from kombu seaweed and shiitake mushrooms.

Although religious fasting is not the same as modern veganism, the traditional fasting dishes of Ukraine and the Buddhist monastic cuisine of Japan show how old and varied plant-based food culture can be. These culinary traditions also show how simple plant-based meals can help people live in harmony with nature and find calm in everyday life.

Plant-based holubtsi with rice and shimeji mushrooms (2 servings)

Ingredients: 4–6 cabbage leaves (200 g), 150 g cooked rice, 1 pack (100 g) shimeji mushrooms, 1/2 onion (100 g), 1/2 carrot (50 g), 100 ml tomato sauce, 100 ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, salt and black pepper to taste.

Place the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 2–3 minutes until softened, then trim the thick ribs at the base. For the filling, finely chop the onion, carrot and shimeji mushrooms, sauté them in oil until tender, mix with the cooked rice, and season with salt and black pepper. Wrap the filling tightly in the cabbage leaves, arrange the holubtsi in a deep pan, pour over the tomato sauce mixed with water, cover and simmer over a low heat for 20–25 minutes.

Smachnoho — enjoy your meal!