Is meat-free becoming par for the (main) course?

In major cities such as London, New York, LA and Sydney, the trend for designated vegetarian eateries and raw restaurants has exploded during the last decade.

The vegetarian dining scene in Dubai - and the rest of the region, for that matter - has seen little growth to date, however.

But now, as the demand for healthier menu options is increasing, and with diners in the Middle East becoming more health conscious, there has been a slight upturn in the number of requests for meat-free options.

Chefs in Dubai have started to introduce more vegetarian and vegan menu options not only in their outlets but also in their banqueting and conference provisioning.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Emirates, chef Pravin Bagali at Le Meridien Al Aqah in Fujairah has reported that the percentage of fruitarians -those who rely solely on a diet of raw fruit and seeds - and vegans has increased 40% on 2007 figures and says he has had to take this into account when planning menus for his restaurants and buffets.

There have also been a growing number of requests for other unusual dietary requirements, according to chefs around the region, due primarily to healthy-eating fads promoted by the media.

The locavore movement, for example, which promotes the consumption of only those foods that can be grown and harvested within a 100km radius of the property, is now gaining ground.

"We have introduced a locavore theme night where we use vegetables and fruits from the local market," Bagali told Caterer last month.

For many of the region's chefs, however, electing to buy locally-produced goods has little to do with a desire to support local producers or to minimise the environmental impact of shipping food. It has a lot more to do with the rocketing costs associated with importing various foodstuffs.

"Importing fruit and vegetables in this region is too expensive and there are high taxes and so on," confirms director of food and beverage at the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa, Brian Nourollahi.

As the demand for healthy food and vegetarian, vegan and other meat-free options continues to grow in the region, the consequent requirement for fresh produce is rising dramatically and the countries in the Gulf must strive to become more self-sufficient if the impact of price speculation and spiralling food import costs is to be minimised.

Sarah Gain is the editor of Caterer Middle East.

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