Vegetarian cuisine

Although not essential, certain special ingredients have often been associated with vegetarian cuisine — the most popular being tofu. Although tofu plays a key role in many mock dishes, a person can be vegetarian for life and never touch it.

Ignoring the different types of vegetarians (e.g., ovo-lacto vs. vegan), one can roughly divide vegetarian cuisine into 2 categories:

• Cuisine that uses mock meats.
• Cuisine that's "naturally" vegetarian.

These are vegetarian versions of popular dishes that non-vegetarians enjoy and are frequently consumed as fast food, comfort food, transition food for new vegetarians, or a way to show non-vegetarians that they can be vegetarians while still enjoying their favorite foods. Many vegetarians just enjoy these dishes as part of a varied diet. However a few see their use as "cheating".

Some popular mock dishes include:

• Veggie burgers (usually made from soy or grain)
• Veggie dogs (usually made from soy)
• Veggie chilli (usually made from soy or other beans)
• Veggie haggis (usually made with oatmeal, pulses, nuts, and vegetables)

See also Chinese Buddhist cuisine.

Some ingredients commonly used in this cuisine:

• tofu
• gluten
• TVP
• soy

These are dishes that non-vegetarians normally eat or dishes that can be made vegetarian by substitution of minor ingredients. Such dishes include:

• Spaghetti with marinara sauce
• Macaroni and cheese (provided the cheese isn't made with animal rennet)
• Salads
• Bean burritos (without lard in the refried beans)
• Vegetable soups (only vegetable broth)
• Many desserts (cake, ice cream, etc.)