Vegetarians in Mongolia

A GLANCE at Mongolia’s agricultural-output tables provides a vivid sense of what a difficult place it can be for vegetarians. Three kinds of meat top the chart—mutton, beef and goat. Potatoes make a decent showing, above camel meat but below horse meat. Carrots, cabbage and onions all feature, but only as statistical afterthoughts. The title of a discussion thread on one internet forum summed it up aptly: “Mongolia: the least vegan place in the world?”

But change is afoot. Though the capital, Ulaanbaatar, does not yet rival hipster cities in Europe or America as a vegetarian mecca, a meatless movement is beginning to stir. On his first visit, in 2005, your (vegetarian) correspondent could find a decent feed only at a mediocre Indian curry house. Today there are dozens of vegetarian restaurants to choose from.

Though Mongolia is predominantly Buddhist, its brand of the creed—like Tibet’s—does not proscribe meat. The country’s population of about 3m is outnumbered by livestock by roughly 12 to one. Nomadic herding has long been at the core of Mongolia’s culture and economy, with meat and dairy products the mainstay of the national diet. Most of the vegetables consumed in Mongolia are imported from China.

In restaurants a request for meatless fare still generally causes quizzical bemusement. But not at Loving Hut, a worldwide vegan chain with several outlets in Ulaanbaatar. The patrons are mostly local, young and English-speaking, though not all are vegetarians.

The nascent trend for eschewing meat is part of Mongolia’s broader shift towards a more urbanised, international society. Last month the UB Post, a Mongolian newspaper, estimated there were 2,500 vegans in the country. Vegetarians may number above 30,000, according to other reports. Professor Oyuntsetseg of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology told the UB Post that strokes and cancers of the stomach and liver are leading causes of death among Mongolians, and that a vegetarian diet would help reduce the risk.

Nevertheless, the brave diners at Loving Hut are bucking strong cultural currents with their choice of food. It may be some time before tofu and alfalfa sprouts rival mutton and beef on those agricultural-output tables.