As a carnivore, it constantly surprises me how much can be made vegan. Case in point: baklava.
This is from Gypsy Queen in Asheville. Now, I make vegan baklava, and not only am I good at it, I’ll argue, as a long-time baklava maker, that baklava made from vegan butter is generally lighter, flakier and more flavorful than its real-butter counterpart. But it still surprises me when other people make it.
Gypsy Queen has a wide selection of vegan options – vegan kafta, vegan shwarma, and vegan falafel (yes, falafel normally should be vegan, but that doesn’t stop a lot of places from making it in profoundly non-vegan ways). And all of it was tremendously delicious.
The great thing about Lebanese cuisine is how much it lends itself to vegan cooking – meaning my wife and I can enjoy ethnic food, and her chosen diet, together at the same time.
That’s a wonderful thing to treasure.
-the Centaur
