Being vegetarian in India

I considered leaving this blog post blank, as its so easy to be veggie in India that unlike some of our other posts on eating as a veggie (particularly in South America), I wasn't sure what I'd actually say, other than 'go forth and eat'.

However, I did really enjoy the food we ate for our two weeks in Bangalore and Tamil Nadu and so I didn't want to miss the opportunity to talk food! So, without further ado, here's a selection of some delicious foods that we'd recommend you try on a trip to India.

1) Masala Dosa
A staple of South India, dosas are a type of pancake made from a fermented rice and lentil batter. They are served filled with vegetables and/or alongside various chutneys or sauces. Commonly, they are served stuffed with a mix of potatoes, onions and spices. This is known as a masala dosa. It's really very tasty and became a firm favourite of ours, while on the road in India.

Destination guide: Snooty Ooty

In the time of the British Empire, Ooty in the Nilgiri hills was the hill station where the British administration in Chennai - then known as Madras - headed to in the summer to cool down. 

Nilgiri Hills

Being in India during the heat of summer ourselves, we could understand the attraction.

Our Pondicherry Top 5

1) Walking the streets of Pondi

The French Quarter of Pondicherry is where most tourists spend most of their time while in town. The streets are lined with pretty colonial buildings, mostly white or yellow, with ornate gateways and doors. Many of the buildings are also adorned with pretty plants and flowers. 

Pretty doorway

Being vegetarian in Bolivia

We’d been told in Peru from travellers coming north that Bolivian food was rather underwhelming and that there was little choice for vegetarians. I’d had quite an easy time in Peru and so was bracing myself for a month or so of nothing but rice and omelettes.

However, while it was true that Bolivia is less foodie than Peru, there were some good veggie options and I only ate about two omelettes in almost two months. (And they were nice omelettes.)

We did have more time to cook for ourselves, so that helped, but even in our homestay, the family didn’t seem to have too much trouble cooking vegetarian.

And there were some great veggie options both at the street stands street and in the restaurants, particularly in Sucre.

So what did we eat and where?