Tasting Colombo: A Plant-Based Culinary Tour organized by Meatless Monday Sri Lanka to showcase Colombo’s plant-based delights. The tour features three carefully curated segments - a morning visit to Cafe Kumbuk, an afternoon  high tea at Kemara Cuisine and an evening dinner at Ranbath Organics. The high tea segment provided an opportunity to explore how innovative plant-based culinary practices can contribute to a more ethical and environmentally friendly food system.

‍

Sustainable Savoury Dishes

The high tea menu featured a variety of savoury items crafted with plant-based ingredients, showcasing their nutritional and environmental benefits. The vegan mini pizza topped with tri-colour bell peppers, olives, and cashew mozzarella was a standout. The cashew mozzarella, a dairy-free alternative, reduces the carbon footprint typically associated with cheese production while offering a creamy texture and flavour.

‍

Another highlight was the raw pad thai wrap, filled with shredded carrots, red cabbage, bell peppers, sesame seeds, and almonds, paired with an almond satay dressing. Raw dishes like these have a lower energy footprint, as they require no cooking, and highlight the versatility of whole, unprocessed plant foods.

‍

‍Desserts with a Purpose

The dessert spread demonstrated that indulgence and sustainability can go hand in hand. The vegan vanilla ice cream with chocolate brownie chunks eliminated the need for dairy, a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in traditional dessert production. The key lime pie tart, with its tangy filling and plant-based crust, utilised ingredients that were ethical, cruelty-free, and less resource-intensive than conventional options.

‍

‍Eco-Friendly Beverages

Drinks like the Passion Pineapple Runner, made with fresh fruit, provided a refreshing and climate-friendly alternative to sugary, processed beverages. Locally sourced fruits used in such drinks often require fewer resources compared to animal-based or highly industrialised products, reducing their overall environmental impact.

‍

‍Why Plant-Based Choices Matter

Each dish served at the high tea underscored the environmental and ethical advantages of plant-based cuisine. Plant-based foods generally require fewer natural resources, such as water and land, and emit significantly lower levels of greenhouse gases than their animal-based counterparts. By featuring innovative alternatives like cashew mozzarella, almond satay, and raw vegetable wraps, the menu demonstrated how sustainable choices can also be delicious and satisfying.

‍

‍A Path Toward Sustainable Dining

The high tea at Kemara Cuisine showcased how plant-based cuisine can be a solution to pressing global challenges while providing a delightful culinary experience. Events like these demonstrate the versatility and innovation of vegan cooking, encouraging even those who do not strictly follow a plant-based diet to adopt more sustainable food habits. By embracing plant-based alternatives, we can collectively reduce the strain on natural resources, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and foster a more ethical and environmentally conscious food culture for generations to come.

‍Meatless Monday Sri Lanka (MMSL) aims to promote and strengthen ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly food systems. Through awareness creation, capacity-building, outreach, and direct interventions, MMSL supports transitioning to ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly lifestyles that benefit human and animal wellbeing, environmental conservation, and the climate.

‍