Really Living in France as a Vegan

Lauren asked in comments if I could write a bit about managing to stay vegan in France. It is difficult but not impossible as there are a number of useful resources available.

Of course, if you're able to cook for yourself (and poor Lauren will have no kitchen) there are plenty of vegetables, bread and pulses available to make meals with. Also, in most of the supermarkets there is a range of 'health foods' in a designated area which usually include a very firm tofu, soy creams, animal free spreads, almond milk, nutritional yeast and so on. The brands to look out for are Bjorg and Gerber. Read the labels, not everything is vegan.

Soy milk may be found in these aisles but is quite often stocked near the other boxed milks - the French are quite happy with long-life milk and there is usually a bigger selection of this than fresh milk. Shelf stockers find that long life soy milk has a natural home here.

In the chilled cabinets you will find margarines suitable for vegans, 100% végétal but you're unlikely to find any soy cheese substitutes, the average French consumer would roll their eyes in horror at the thought of it. There are also, if you're lucky and can search them out, products from the Sojasun range. These include burgers, soy based puddings and plain soya yoghurts. There are no fake sliced meats that I've ever seen. In the freezer cabinets some sorbets are vegan and I have, once, seen dairy free ice cream.

If you're looking for ready made pastry, choose the cheaper end of the range which will be made with (usually unidentified) vegetable fat which you must make your own mind up over. More expensive sorts will proclaim their content of pure butter. Brik pastry is vegan and much more easily found than filo. It can be used in much the same way.

Nuts, olives and seeds can often be found in the vegetables section of the supermarket. Oats are for breakfast, Quaker is usually available, less processed oats and mixed grain cereals sometimes found. Quinoa, polenta and speciality flours are on the shelves somewhere near the baking section usually.

Ordinary bread will be fine but of course, all the croissants, brioches and enriched doughs are packed full of butter and sometimes eggs, so have to be avoided. I've never found a vegan patisserie either, so avert your eyes from the beautiful displays of tarts and cakes. Some supermarkets carry decent levain raised breads but if you're in town try all the bakers to see which one does the sort of bread you like.

There are health food shops - not all of them good, our local one in St. Lo started well but has now drifted off into high protein whey supplements and herbal bathsalts. Also, beware, many of the items in the chilled cabinet are to organic standards but are not even vegetarian. Read the labels carefully. You might be lucky, we have found some interesting products in places like this, unfortunately, supply seems to be rather hit and miss and they're often no longer stocked when you go back for more.

A useful resource for finding local organic produce is here, plug in your area for names and locations of shops near you. These are the Normandy ones and these the Pays de la Loire.

Eating out can be difficult. The best plan is to politely ask for food without animals products for your health. There is general understanding of the need for health related food preferences, almost none from an ethical point of view. Even so, you will have to fend off offers of cheese, eggs or even ham as they're considered to be barely from animals at all, and are often automatically included in salads and sandwiches. Of course, your success will depend mostly on how good your spoken French is, but I've never yet been chased from a restaurant for ordering a green salad and chips, although it does get some funny looks.

There are some alternative cuisines available in the bigger towns. Pizza is an option most places and can be ordered cheeseless, Chinese food is quite often available but they're less likely to have veg*n options on the menu than in English speaking territories as there's little call for it in France. Cous cous houses often have a vegetable couscous, it's taking a bit of a chance on the kitchen that it's purely vegetables but in desperation we have eaten in these places (and enjoyed it!). In this part of France there is almost nothing that can be described as a vegetarian or vegan restaurant. I have heard of a cafe in Caen that has some veggie options and there is an English run resto some 3 hours drive away that opens during the season. Rural France isn't Paris!

And there are French vegans! Virginie writes at Absolutely Green and links to many more. There is a French vegetarian society with a website here and most of the ex-pat communities will have contacts for veggies and information to share.

So it can be done, but as vegans everywhere know it takes constant vigilance and some good luck. Bonne chance.