Think Hyderabad, and a plateful of aromatic mutton biryani and sumptuous slow-cooked haleem instantly come to mind. However, the city has much more to offer to food lovers than these meaty delights—pizza sprinkled with cashew cheese and coffees whipped with almond milk. Soon after the city made it to UNESCO’s Creative Cities List under the gastronomy category, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) recognised Hyderabad as the most vegan-friendly city in 2019.
Hyderabad’s vegan community and animal-free food options have been growing enormously. “The global interest in a vegan lifestyle has never been higher, and Hyderabad is leading the country in responding to it,” said Dr Kiran Ahuja, PETA India vegan outreach coordinator.
The city made the cut due to the large number of vegan eateries in the city dishing out superior quality offerings. Terrasen Café – Poets and Oats serves all things vegan-friendly—from pasta and pizzas to smoothies and coffee. Smart Alec – Alternative Deli dishes out curries and butter chicken with mock meat. There’s also plenty of vegan options to satisfy your sweet-tooth cravings—Cookie Queen, the Lush Glaze (vegan cakes, donuts and tarts free of animal-based ingredients like eggs, milk and butter) and Frozera (dairy-free ice creams) being some of them. Hyderabad is also home to an all-vegan store Plantarium, which stocks vegan treats, cosmetics, protein mixes and more. That’s not it. The city has a “Hyderabad Vegans” group, which hosts potlucks and other events that promote the benefits of plant-based living.
Hyderabad is not the only city in India to have been recognised for adopting a vegan lifestyle. These are the cities that made it to the list in the past:
Chennai: In 2018, Chennai bagged PETA’s India’s 2018 ‘Most Vegan-Friendly City’. The city’s efforts to be vegan-friendly are not just limited to the many plant-based cafes such as The Flower Drum and The Brew Room. Chennai is home to several vegan clothing stores Monkstory and Earth Story being some of them. The city’s SPI Cinema offers almond milk sweetened with dates to moviegoers, whereas the children of German International School have adopted plant-based diets very early on, as they are only served vegan meals.
Pune: In 2017, it was Pune that made it to the list, owing to its many vegan-friendly restaurants such as The Real Green Cafe, Kompassion, Granny’s Bowl and vegan delivery service Back to Basics. The city’s first-ever Vegan Fest hosted in 2017.
Bengaluru: Back in 2014, Bengaluru was the first to be named the most vegan-friendly city in India. The city has a thriving vegan community. Vegan Bangalore, a group with a membership of 5,000 on Facebook, organises monthly potlucks and outreach activities. There’s also a 161-page guide to veganism called My Vegan Bangalore. It is a complete guide to vegan restaurants, shops and cafes by author Amrita Dutta. Vegania, a group that describes itself as a virtual vegan country, is a forum that addresses animal issues.
Source: CNT
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