Land of Veggies and Honey: Veganism in Israel

Israel is known for its amazing food, and veganism is no exception! Actually, Tel Aviv has the most vegans per capita in the world! Find out more about veganism in Israel below.

Herbivores unite! Why is veganism so big in Israel, particularly in Tel Aviv? Signs point to the mix of idealism and access to resources!

Israel has always relied on the land as a major source of resources. Without neighboring countries to trade with, and with a somewhat finicky climate, Israelis are masters of agriculture. In fact, drip agriculture was invented here in Israel! Now, Israel is able to grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables, and whatever is in season tends to be what's cheapest. Just take one look at the shiny peppers, perfect cucumbers, and ruby red tomatoes in the Shuk, and you'll get it isn't as hard as it looks to eat a lot of vegetables, or even to go vegetarian or vegan.

And while growing gorgeous vegetables is easy here, raising livestock and cattle is less-so. Israel doesn't actually produce high-quality meat, and imported meat can be expensive. And then, throwing kosher into the mix also makes it make sense to cut out meat -- most places have kosher meat, but it's not guaranteed.

The other thing with food culture in Israel is that salad "salat" is major here. Commonly found for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, served in sandwiches and pitot, Israelis have mastered delicious salad. Using avocado, cabbage, eggplant, you name it!

All of these factors combined make for the perfect recipe for a high rate of veganism here -- nearly 5% of the population! There are tons of restaurants to get delicious vegan or vegetarian food, especially in Tel Aviv! And we promise--whichever one you try, it's sure to be delicious!