Austrian Vegetarian Information
Disclaimer: The information contained on these pages was collected
from various sources (reliable or not) and is thus not guaranteed to be
correct. I am not affiliated with any of the organizations mentioned here.
![[under construction]](Fx/under_construction.gif)
This page is currently under construction. Please help me gather more information! Have a look at the section
titled "Wanted" if you want to contribute.
Index
Introduction
When someone recently contacted me to ask about things like vegetarian-friendly
accomodation and good vegetarian restaurants in Vienna, I realized how little
I knew about these things myself. Shortly after, I decided to gather some
information and put them here for (vegetarian/vegan) visitors to Austria,
in the hope that they'll be helpful. If what is available here seems to be
incomplete or too little, it is because of two reasons: The first is, that
it is not easy for a single individual to collect everything related to
vegetarianism in Vienna, let alone Austria.
The second, and rather disappointing
reason is, that although there are strong animals' rights groups in Austria,
as far as I can tell, only very little is happening with regard to
vegetarianism.
Nevertheless, I hope this pages will be of some use to you. As stated in the
disclaimer, I cannot guarantee that the information provided here is correct
(although I do hope so!), but since I've tried to state my sources wherever
possible/applicable, you can decide for yourself whether to believe me or
not. :-)
Notes for Vegans: Since I'm an ovo-lacto-Vegetarian, I may have neglected
Veganism in some parts of these pages. Please don't be upset, but help
me correct things instead!
General Information about Vegetarianism in Austria
In my experience, although most people in Austria know that Vegetarians do
not eat meat, you can't expect them to know as much about Vegetarianism
as you do. If this is true for most countries of the world, it is even more
important to remember it in this country, where many people don't eat enough
vegetables, but most eat too much meat. Especially Veganism is widely unknown
in Austria, so always remember to point out exactly what you do not eat
(unless you eat in a vegetarian or vegetarian-friendly restaurant, which
should be safe).
Cheese
One of the most annoying facts about Austria is, that food, which is suitable
for vegetarians, is generally not labelled as such.
Thus, it is impossible to tell e.g.
whether cheese is made without animal-derived rennet or not. You might think
that "if you can't get it, you can't get it" and ignore the fact that cheese
is mostly non-vegetarian here, but if you don't, the only alternative is to
avoid eating cheese (or bring some with you!).
Fortunately,
some cheese products are explicitly labelled as containing rennet (usually
Italian parmesan cheese etc.).
This list of restaurants was taken from a leaflet (titled "Lokale - Vegetarische Kost", meaning "restaurants/cafes - Vegetarian Food"),
given to me by an animals'
rights activist group member in Vienna, during an "exhibition" of photographs
showing how animals are treated before and while being slaughtered for human
consumption. I haven't tried most of these restaurants yet, but those I've
eaten at have appropriate comments (all IMHO, of course). I've tried to
faithfully reproduce the complete list here, as far as this was possible
while translating it from German at the same time
(my comments are in this text
style), ignoring all potential copyright problems
(since there was no such notice on the leaflet, nor do I know who designed it).
I've also added a few entries on my own and will continue to do so as I find
new candidates.
Wien (Vienna) [20 entries]
Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) [1 entry]
Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) (empty!)
Steiermark (Styria) [3 entries]
Burgenland (empty!)
Salzburg (empty!)
Vorarlberg (empty!)
Tirol (Tyrol) [2 entries]
Kärnten (Carinthia) (empty!)
Vegetarian/Vegan shopping list
This section contains information about specific noteworthy products; noteworthy
because they are either produced especially for vegetarians and vegans, or
because they're not suitable for vegetarians even though they may
appear so at first. Note that all the information contained here is AFAIK
and IMHO (whichever is applicable).
Products suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans
-
The company called SOJAREI produces shrink-wrapped burgers (for frying and
smoked) and sausages, as well as "Tofunnaise" (Tofu-mayonnaise) and a
Tofu-based "Sauce Tartare". All these products are suitable for vegans (again,
as far as I can tell).
SOJAREI
add address later!
So far I've only found these products in the supermarket called "MERKUR"
(add addresses), between the cheese and bread sections.
-
AUER makes a mixture for veggie burgers, which are suitable
for vegans (according to the list of ingredients). They come in two flavours:
soya and Dinkel (a type of grain, similar to wheat, probably bulgar). I've found those
in the Billa supermarkets.
Other wholefood and soya-based products can be purchased in most of the
numerous wholefood stores (usually called "Reformhaus").
Products unsuitable for vegetarians
- The popular "energy drink" called Red Bull is not suitable for
vegetarians, since it contains Taurine, which is extracted from meat as far
as I know.
Organizations
So far, I've only found one Vegetarian organization in Austria, the local
branch of the EVU (European Vegetarian Union):
Österreichische Vegetarier-Union
Erwin Laupert
Brucknerstraße 59/18
A-8010 Graz
Other Web resources for Vegetarians
Wanted
Lots of things :-)
At the moment, corrections and suggestions about the general style/layout
would be helpful...
Marinos "nino" Yannikos, nino@complang.tuwien.ac.at
(+431) 58801/18516
Last update: Feb 10 1996