Vegetarian foods can be classified into several different types:
- Traditional foods that have always been vegetarian (cereals/grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc.)
- Soy products including tofu and tempeh which are common protein sources
- Textured vegetable protein (TVP), made from defatted soy flour, often included in chili and burger recipes in place of ground meat
- Meat analogues, which mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of meat and are often used in recipes that traditionally contained meat.
- Vegans may also use analogues for eggs and dairy products
Foods used in vegetarian cuisine
Food regarded as suitable for vegetarians typically includes:
- Cereals/grains: maize, hempseed, corn, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum, millet, oats, rye, triticale, buckwheat, fonio, quinoa; derived products such as flour (dough, bread, pasta, baked goods).
- Vegetables (fresh or pickled); derived products such as vegetable oils
- Edible fungi[note 1]
- Fruit (fresh or dried)
- Legumes: beans (including soybeans and soy products such as tempeh, tofu, soy milk, and TVP), chickpeas, peas, lentils, peanuts)
- Tree nuts and seeds
- Spices and herbs
- Other foods such as seaweed (however seaweed is considered inedible by some strict vegetarians for the same reason it can be considered to be non-kosher by some: the possibility that various tiny animals may be found adhering to it.
Food suitable for several types of the vegetarian cuisine:
Dairy products (milk, butter, cheese (except for cheese containing rennet of animal origin), yogurt (excluding yogurt made with gelatin), etc.) – not eaten by vegans and pure ovo-vegetarians
Eggs – not eaten by vegans and pure lacto-vegetarians
Honey – not eaten by vegans
