FEATURE // Plant-based dining
Eating green Global cuisines have a lot to offer when it comes to veg-centric options. WORDS Aristine Dobson PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Crawford for Ma Pa Me; Steven Woodburn for Maydanoz
PLANT-BASED DINING IS well past the point of being a trend. Individuals are
making efforts to reduce their meat and
encompass deep-fried snacks, punchy condiments and lentil stews.
There are many avenues chefs can take
dairy intake — or forgoing its consumption
when creating plant-based creations that
responded, providing multiple options
Hospitality talks to Arman Uz from
all together — and the industry has on menus.
While the plant-based movement has
made waves in the Western world in recent years, the concept is nothing new for many people. In parts of the Middle East, South
extend beyond ready-made products.
Maydanoz, Gunjan Aylawadi from Flyover Fritterie and Alfan Musthafa from Ma Pa Me about foods across cuisines that are inherently plant-based.
America, Asia and Africa, plant-based
Turkish
been considered the norm.
into meat-heavy dishes such as kofte and
eating and cooking methods have long Vegetable-driven dishes from Turkey
focus on hardy shoots and greens, while Indonesia hones in on soy-based sauces, tofu, tempeh and fruit. Over in India,
vegan and vegetarian street food options 36 | Hospitality
Turkish food is typically pigeonholed
kebabs. But Chef Somer Sivrioğlu set out to challenge the misconception with his
most recent venue Maydanoz. The plantbased eatery recently opened its doors
and has seen Executive Chef Arman Uz
work with Sivrioğlu to craft a menu that’s reflective of home-cooked meals made
in Western Turkey. “80 to 90 per cent of the menu is vegetable dishes,” says Uz.
“We are cooking what our mums put on
the table as kids and what Turkish people really eat at home.”
Part of the coastline in Western Turkey
sits alongside the Aegean Sea, which
provides an ideal environment for fresh produce. “Vegetables are grown on the
Aegean coast and the climate really allows that,” says Uz. “We take guidance from
the region, and because olives grow there, a lot of the vegetables [on the menu] are cooked in an olive oil base.”
Uz says economic and sociological
factors have shaped much of Turkey’s vegetable-driven options. “In Turkey,
