For hikers committed to a vegan diet, a trip to Alps for walking holiday can prove to be pretty tricky. Traditional mountain food across the Alps is delicious, but most definitely not often vegan. If you are depending on mountain huts for your sustenance or shopping from small mountain villages, you will find your options weigh heavily in the favour of cheese and meat.
There are a number of reasons for this. Number one, it is hard to grow veggies at altitude. Trust me, I have tried. I often get guests commenting on how bad my garden is, compared to theirs located at 100m above sea level. Instead of veggies, mountain people farm animals such as sheep, goats and cows for their food. Milk is used for producing cheese and butter, then a number of animals are slaughtered for income and for meat. Bread is hard and not risen (another effect of the altitude) and life is simple. This food is delicious, but not a great option for vegans.
If it's rare to find vegan food in the Alps, it's even rarer in our remote corner of Austria (Osttirol). We are really happy at MoaAlm too have created a truly unique holiday with vegan food at the heart of it. Each day we serve a delicious plant based breakfast with everything from buckwheat granola with soy yoghurt, to homemade vegan spread and butters. We even take care to select only vegan breads from our local bakery.
After breakfast our guests leave for hiking in summer or snowshoe hiking in winter. Our wonderful hiking leaders are all from the local community and have worked hard to ensure that each of the huts we visit for lunch have a good vegan option on the menu.
A soak in the hot tub and a delicious plant based cake awaits our guests on their return. Cake always tastes amazing after a hike but even more so when it is fully vegan. Each day is a different experience, but we always try to use unrefined sugar, and low gluten spelt flour from Austria.
Dinner is really special here at MoaAlm. Hiking in the Alps leaves you hungry, even after a good slice of cake. Each evening is a three course plant based meal served at our communal dining table. We love to give our cooks freedom in the kitchen to be creative, and we are rewarded with a diverse and unique menu with cuisine from Asia, Europe and the Middle East served with style and elegance.
At MoaAlm being vegan does not mean you have to compromise your hiking holiday. It enhances your experience, allowing you a truly unique holiday in the Alps.
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