Vegan Passover Recipes For Pesach
Plenty of vegan Passover recipes (or vegan Pesach recipes) exist. The vast majority of vegan Passover recipes contain plant-based ingredients. But what makes vegan Passover recipes different from, say, vegetarian Passover recipes? And are a particular combination of ingredients found in vegan Passover recipes that adhere to the general dietary philosophy of veganism valid for all vegans? (Drum roll, please, or use your imagination) The answers to these and other questions about vegan Passover recipes and veganism follow on this web page.
Are Vegan Passover Recipes Valid For All Vegans?
Vegan Passover recipes can consist of different kinds of ingredients as long as they are plant-based and do not contain any animal sources, although the types of ingredients used in vegan Passover recipes may only be valid for some vegans and not other vegans because there are subgroups of vegans that adhere to a specific combination of plant-based products within the entire group of plant-based products adhered to by vegans in general. Ironically, there are even a few subgroups of vegans who include chicken and/or fish in their diets (for instance, Pollo-vegans who include chicken in their diet and Pesco-vegans who include fish in their diet) and are accepted by "The Vegan Society" even though the general dietary philosophy of vegans is to avoid any animal flesh - including fish - in their diet as well as any animal by-products such as dairy products and eggs in addition to anything tested on animals and adhere solely to a plant-based diet.
So, vegan Passover recipes I say? Yes, it's possible to have vegan Passover recipes for Pesach. Care must be taken for vegan Passover recipes when selecting the ingredients in order for the recipes to remain vegan Passover recipes. So how does one know which ingredients to use in vegan Passover recipes? First, a little more background about veganism in the following paragraphs for those that don't know about it [for those that do know about it, go right ahead and check out our vegan Passover recipes ! :)
What does "Vegan" in "Vegan Passover Recipes" mean?
The term "vegan" (pronounced VEE-gn, with a long "e" and hard "g") is frequently confused with "vegetarian", but it is not the exact same thing. The term "vegan" was coined in November 1944 by Donald Watson in Leicester, England after he and six other members of "The Vegetarian Society" in Leicester met in London, England and decided to form their own organization known as "The Vegan Society" in response to being rejected by "The Vegetarian Society" when they initially wanted to form a subgroup of non-dairy vegetarians that was based on a diet that excluded all animal products and by-products as well as products tested on animals. In addition, they also proposed that a vegan should avoid the use of any commodities that derived from animals. Despite this seemingly "initial" proposal, as early as 1909 the ethics of consuming dairy products were hotly debated within the vegetarian movement. So what is the origin of the term "vegan"? The term "vegan" is taken from the first three and last two letters of "vegetarian" (vegan derived from VEGetariAN) because, as Donald Watson explained, "veganism starts with vegetarianism and carries it through to its logical conclusion". Today, "The Vegan Society" is based in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, England.
In general, a vegan does not eat any animal flesh (including fish), does not eat any eggs, dairy products, and perhaps even animal-derived foods such as honey or gelatin. Vegans also do not use any other products or wear any clothes that are derived from animals such as leather or silk products, wool, fur, toothpastes which contain lard, soaps, as well as any other animal by-products, be it food or commodities. In other words, out of respect for animals as well as a desire to not promote the meat and dairy industries - which use cruel production methods and conditions in their factories and farms, respectively - a vegan will avoid anything derived from animals that are used for human purposes such as for food or clothing. A vegan will adhere to eating diets and purchasing products that avoid the use of animals to as great an extent as possible. This means that the vegan will use products that are solely derived from plants and plant proteins; it excludes animal proteins. Vegans base their philosophy on either concern for animals, environmental concerns, concern for health or for ethical/religious reasons, or any combination of the aforementioned.
The Vegan Society stresses a totally plant-based diet, excluding fish, fowl, flesh, honey, animals' milk, eggs, cheese, and butter. They also encourage the manufacturing and use of alternatives to animal-based commodities such as leather, silk, shoes, cosmetics, toiletries, household goods, clothing, and everyday commodities. They have also stressed from the start that veganism is a philosophy and a way of living and not just a diet so that exploitation of any kind could be eliminated and a more reasonable and humane society emerge as a result. Veganism is essentially a lifestyle and belief system that focusses on a reverence for life: an environmentally-sound, humane, and non-violent lifestyle.
The American Vegan Society was founded in 1960 by Jay Dinshah and follows the same principals of its predecessor in England. It also adds an additional principal: it promotes the philosophy of "ahimsa," a Sanskrit word interpreted as "dynamic harmlessness," along with advocating service to humanity, nature, and creation. In other words, in order to practice veganism, it is not sufficient to simply avoid specific foods and products; it is necessary to actively participate in beneficial selfless action as well. While vegans do not strive for perfection as that is impossible, they strive to do the best they can. Omitting animal products from one's life is a passive action. It does not necessitate asserting oneself, it merely involves avoidance. In order to actually implement and realize "ahimsa," we must engage the "dynamic" part of "dynamic harmlessness". Therefore, to fully apply the vegan ethic, not only are vegans compelled to do the least harm, they are obliged to do the most good.
What makes vegan Passover recipes different from vegetarian Passover recipes?
Vegan Passover recipes - with the exception of some subgroups of veganism such as Pollo-vegans and Pesco-vegans as well as other subgroups - will generally not contain any ingredients that are derived from animals, including fish whereas the ingredients in vegetarian Passover recipes in general may include animal-derived products such as dairy products and/or eggs.
So now that you have a basic education in the evolution of veganism, it's time to dig into those vegan Passover recipes!
