From Europe’s alpine meadows to Africa’s savannas, from the Amazon Rainforest to the icebound Arctic, each area on Earth brims with distinctive flavors that replicate its historical past, local weather and tradition. As conservation vacationers, we additionally uncover that meals can unite sustainability and custom—honoring native agricultural practices, Indigenous data and our planet’s pure steadiness. Beneath, discover a few of the world’s most attractive vegetarian dishes that may be present in Nat Hab locations, highlighting native vegetation and a dedication to preserving biodiversity and native meals cultures for generations to come back.
Per custom, we poured contemporary cream on prime of Victoria sponge cake on Nat Hab’s Scotland journey. © Emily Goodheart
Europe: Heritage of the Harvest
Slovenia & Croatia
Within the lush valleys of Slovenia, you’ll discover štruklji—rolled dough stuffed with cheese, wild herbs or walnuts sweetened with native honey. Beekeeping is a nationwide custom, with prized honey varieties together with linden blossoms and chestnut. Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast boasts contemporary greens, olive oil and aromatic herbs like rosemary, sage and oregano. Dishes like blitva, a easy stew of Swiss chard, potatoes and garlic, spotlight the bounty of the Adriatic area.
The Cotswolds, England
Rolling hills, honey-colored stone cottages coated in roses and charming tearooms outline the Cotswolds. A comforting staple is bubble and squeak—pan-fried potatoes and greens comparable to cabbage, kale, English peas or Brussel sprouts, topped with a poached egg or tangy native cheddar. To fulfill your candy tooth, Victoria sponge cake, stuffed with strawberries and whipped cream, pairs completely with Earl Gray tea.
Scotland’s Highlands & Islands
Scotland’s untamed magnificence emerges in its rustic, hearty fare. Potato scones—skinny, triangular scones produced from mashed potatoes and flour—are a staple at breakfast and afternoon tea. Slather them with butter or prime with Scottish heather honey for a comforting deal with.
Portugal
Together with its scrumptious Port wine, Portugal presents up caldo verde (inexperienced soup) as a regional specialty, made with collard greens, potatoes and olive oil. Many coastal eating places are embracing native seaweeds and wild herbs to create vegetarian small plates, typically accompanied by artisanal bread dipped in native olive oil.
Iceland
Within the land of fireplace and ice, geothermal power powers greenhouses that produce tomatoes, cucumbers and even strawberries. A scrumptious staple is geothermal-baked rye bread, typically left to slow-cook within the heat earth. This dense, barely candy loaf could be served with native butter or skyr, thick Icelandic yogurt, showcasing how modern farming strategies thrive amid Iceland’s volcanic terrain.
Nat Hab Philanthropy helps Groandi, an NGO centered on empowering Iceland’s conservation-oriented youth by way of environmental training about gardening and sustainable practices that foster connection to the land.
Greenland
Though agriculture is restricted, Greenlanders use hardy herbs, root greens and greenhouses to domesticate contemporary produce. Geothermal potato salad incorporates herbs like angelica, utilized by Inuit communities for hundreds of years. The result’s a meal that marries modern resourcefulness with age-old respect for the Arctic surroundings.
Whereas conventional rising seasons are nearly non-existent in Greenland, because of the inspiring efforts of Siu-Tsi’s Tasiilaq’s backyard challenge, a Nat Hab Philanthropy grant recipient, crops like spinach, onions, turnips and radishes abound on this small, distant village in East Greenland.
I used to be handled to an array of greens on Nat Hab’s Tanzania Nice Migration & Ngorongoro Crater safari. © Emily Goodheart
Africa: Celebrating Indigenous Grains & Greens
Botswana, Namibia & Zimbabwe
In Botswana and Namibia, sorghum and millet kind the idea of porridge-like dishes. Get pleasure from bogobe jwa lerotse, a millet infused with the juice of the lerotse melon. It’s generally paired with morogo—wild spinach sautéed with onions and tomatoes. Drought-resistant grains, melons and leafy greens showcase the ingenuity of native cooking within the semi-arid Kalahari surroundings. In Zimbabwe, peanut-based stews, recognized domestically as dovi, embrace groundnuts, collard greens and typically candy potatoes, served alongside sadza (cornmeal porridge).
Nat Hab Philanthropy helps Wilderness Group Drought Reduction, a challenge distributing emergency meals parcels to 12,500 people, primarily kids, to alleviate the results of a extreme drought in Southern Africa.
Kenya & Tanzania
Kenyan delicacies is splendidly various, reflecting greater than 40 completely different ethnic teams. A vegetarian spotlight is irio, originating from the Kikuyu neighborhood. This mashed mixture of potatoes, inexperienced peas and corn (typically with pumpkin leaves or watercress) is nutritious and comforting. Typically served with a tangy tomato-onion relish, irio underscores Kenya’s reliance on its verdant farmlands for important staples. Tanzania’s fertile landscapes yield a vibrant array of greens, together with mchicha (the Swahili phrase for amaranth) and mlenda (okra stew), which pair properly with ugali (maize porridge), the nation’s staple meals. Candy potatoes and pumpkins seem in each savory stews and candy porridges.
Nat Hab Philanthropy helps Gyekrumalambo Major Faculty in northern Tanzania. The newest challenge funded is the completion of a faculty kitchen. This can be a game-changer for the neighborhood and college kids, the place a facility like this (and the meals to be served in consequence) merely didn’t exist prior.
South Africa
Wealthy in biodiversity, South Africa makes use of vegetation like amaranth (domestically generally known as imbuya), which could be sautéed with onions and tomatoes. Chakalaka, a spicy relish produced from carrots, peppers, and onions, could be loved by itself or with pap (maize porridge).
Rwanda & Uganda
In Rwanda, isombe—cassava leaves cooked with garlic, onions, and typically peanuts—makes for a hearty vegetarian major. Throughout the border in Uganda, matoke (steamed inexperienced bananas) pair properly with groundnut sauce, reflecting the area’s reliance on bananas for sustenance. Pair with a cup of Ugandan espresso—the excessive and fertile panorama round Bwindi Impenetrable Nationwide Park is superb coffee-growing terrain. On Nat Hab’s Final Gorilla Safari, vacationers go to Gorilla Conservation Espresso, a challenge we assist that makes use of sustainable espresso cultivation on the margins of gorilla habitat as a pure buffer, deterring gorillas from venturing into meals crops. Based by veterinarian Dr. Gladys Kalema, this initiative champions neighborhood training and direct monitoring of gorilla well being, with farmers rising, processing and roasting beans to promote at a premium to profit gorilla conservation.
Nat Hab Philanthropy helps Bwindi Plus Nursery and Major Faculty, tackling meals insecurity by buying land and farming assets so college students can develop their very own meals.
Madagascar
Famed for its vanilla—the world’s most interesting—Madagascar produces fragrant beans that remodel desserts into indulgent treats. A Malagasy vanilla custard options eggs, milk, sugar and a beneficiant infusion of vanilla. This dessert underscores how native farmers depend on sustainable vanilla cultivation to assist each livelihoods and very important ecosystems on this biodiversity hotspot.
An Aboriginal information leads us on a bushwalk throughout a dormant volcano close to the Nice Ocean Street to pattern native edible vegetation on Nat Hab’s Australia South safari, and the creator poses with an Indian thali © Emily Goodheart
Asia & the Pacific: Spices & Timeless Traditions
Rajasthan, India
Seventy-five % of Rajasthan’s inhabitants is vegetarian, resulting in a plethora of vegetarian delicacies. Staples embrace dal baati churma, lentil curry paired with wheat “baati” rolls, and gatte ki sabzi, that includes chickpea flour dumplings simmered in a tangy yogurt sauce. You’ll strive domestically sourced dishes like these at ecolodges on Nat Hab’s India Tiger Quest Journey.
Ladakh, India: The Land of the Snow Leopard
Excessive within the Indian Himalayas, skyu, a warming barley dumpling soup loaded with root greens and native greens, and gur gur chai, a pinkish salted yak butter tea, fortifies vacationers towards the tough winters. These recipes have remained unchanged for hundreds of years, a hearty meal for high-altitude trekkers.
Bhutan & Nepal
Bhutan’s nationwide dish is ema datshi, produced from yak cheese and dried chilis. The stew pairs fantastically with Bhutan’s pink rice. Bhutan’s reverence for Gross Nationwide Happiness extends to farming practices designed to guard the surroundings and uphold cultural heritage. Nepalese delicacies is anchored by dal bhat tarkari—lentil soup (dal), steamed rice (bhat) and vegetable curry (tarkari), typically accompanied by pickles (achar). Many Nepalese farmers comply with natural practices by default, utilizing compost and conventional terracing strategies within the steep Himalayan foothills.
Sichuan, China
Sichuan Province is known for its daring, spicy delicacies. Fiery dan dan noodles with sesame paste, chili oil, garlic and Sichuan peppercorns could be made vegetarian by swapping in minced mushrooms or tofu.
Borneo
Within the rainforests of Borneo, native communities prepare dinner with bamboo shoots spiced with wild ginger flower, and midin, a leafy fern typically stir-fried with garlic. Borneo additionally presents an array of tropical fruits loved by individuals and orangutans alike, comparable to durian and mangosteen. These components spotlight the island’s biodiverse ecosystem, rigorously foraged and cultivated by Indigenous teams.
Australia
Australian Indigenous meals tradition, generally known as “bush tucker,” highlights native components like wattleseeds, lemon myrtle and bush tomatoes. A wattleseed damper—a easy bread produced from flour, wattleseeds, and water—could be baked in campfire embers. In Tasmania, pepperberry provides a spicy zing to soups, whereas in Queensland’s tropics, fruits like mango, dragon fruit, and lychee flourish. On Kangaroo Island, my fellow vacationers and I had been handled to a wine tasting and had the possibility to savor native favorites, from blackberry pavlova and paella to lavender tea with a dollop of honey from the island’s hives, which assist the one pure pressure of Ligurian bees left on the planet. You’ll enterprise to all these areas on Nat Hab’s 21-day Final Australia Safari, staying at ecolodges that supply their produce from microfarms and natural co-ops which might be dedicated to preserving Australia’s distinctive biodiversity.
New Zealand
The Māori hāngi custom entails cooking meals underground over sizzling stones. A vegetarian hāngi would possibly embrace kumara (candy potato), pumpkin and cabbage, all steamed in flax baskets till tender and infused with a subtly smoky taste. Add karengo seaweed foraged from the South Island’s coasts for additional mineral richness.
We savored tropical fruits and tlacoyos with blue corn and squash blossoms in Mexico’s volcanic highlands on my Monarch Butterfly Picture Expedition © Emily Goodheart
Latin America: Cacao, Cassava, Carambola, Calafate & Camu Camu
Mexico’s Central Highlands: Kingdom of the Monarchs
Corn types the spine of Mexican delicacies. Indigenous communities within the volcanic highlands make tlacoyos—thick masa truffles full of beans, cheese or squash blossoms, typically topped with nopales (cactus). Indigenous communities additionally harvest wild mushrooms from volcanic forests, typically cooking them in corn husks with garlic and the herb epazote.
The Galapagos, Ecuador
Attempt a wealthy chocolate mousse with passionfruit curd, pairing the island’s tangy maracuyá (passionfruit) with Ecuador’s artisanal chocolate. The result’s a vibrant, creamy indulgence that showcases each the islands’ fertile volcanic highlands—the place passionfruit thrives—and Ecuador’s heritage as a premier cacao producer. Nat Hab has partnered with native, family-owned chocolate producers SALAPÍ and CHIOCORELLA. Their goodies are crafted utilizing fantastic aroma cacao harvested from the Ecuadorian forest and San Cristobal Island within the Galapagos, guaranteeing 100% ‘tree to bar’ traceability—from farming cacao pods, fermenting beans in picket bins and solar drying to the artisanal chocolate-making course of. By supporting these small companies, we’re investing within the native financial system and selling sustainable agricultural practices that profit each individuals and the planet. We’re proud to be the primary small ship operator within the Galapagos to eradicate chocolate packaging, providing nightly goodies in friends’ cabins with none plastic or paper wrapping.
Nat Hab Philanthropy helps MonteMar Espresso. On Santa Cruz Island, MonteMar’s conservation espresso helps ecosystem rehabilitation for Galapagos big tortoises grazing on the biodynamic farm.
The Peruvian Amazon
Alongside the Amazonian tributaries, you’ll discover plentiful tropical fruits comparable to camu camu, soursop and the sweet-tart lucuma. Locals mix these fruits into refreshing juices, desserts and ice lotions, capturing the rainforest’s unimaginable biodiversity in every chew. For a superfood immune increase, strive camu camu chia pudding. Manioc (yuca) is one other Amazonian staple—typically mashed and shaped into juane de yuca—which could be stuffed with greens, then wrapped in banana leaves for steaming.
Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley
Excessive-altitude farms within the Sacred Valley yield a kaleidoscope of native tubers, together with purple potatoes generally known as papa púrpura. Indigenous Quechua and different Andean communities have cultivated these potatoes for hundreds of years, passing down sustainable terracing and seed-saving practices. Causa—a layered, lemony potato dish—could be stuffed with avocado, greens or cheese, whereas the vivid papa púrpura lends a colourful twist that celebrates the area’s deep ancestral roots.
Brazil’s Pantanal
On this planet’s largest tropical wetland, cassava flour (farinha) and beans function closely in vegetarian variations of feijão tropeiro—a dish sometimes together with collard greens, onions and loads of garlic.
Patagonia
Stretching throughout Chile and Argentina, Patagonia is a land of dramatic fjords, glaciers and windswept plains. A spotlight is calafate berry jam, produced from a darkish blue berry that thrives within the harsh local weather. Slathered on contemporary bread or utilized in pastries, the calafate’s tart-sweet taste has earned it legendary standing—locals say in the event you style it, you’re certain to return to Patagonia sometime.
Costa Rica
A worldwide chief in ecotourism, Costa Rica presents gallo pinto—rice, beans, onions, and bell peppers, topped with fried eggs or cheese. Domestically grown avocados, yucca and plantains spherical out a hearty vegetarian meal, whereas contemporary tropical fruits like carambola (star fruit), cas (Costa Rican guava) and mamón chino (Costa Rican rambutan) underscore the biodiversity that thrives in its rainforests.
A lilac luncheon with herbs and berries at one in all my favourite U.S. locales, Hurd Orchards, a 100-year-old fruit and flower farm. © Emily Goodheart
Canada & U.S. Nationwide Parks: Impressed by Indigenous Substances & A Bounty of Berries
Haida Gwaii: “Canada’s Galapagos”
Birch syrup and cedar jelly; Saskatoon berries and soapberries; stinging nettle and sea asparagus; Haida Gwaii’s old-growth rainforests and coastal waters present a feast of seasonal components. On Nat Hab’s Haida Gwaii journey, vacationers may have a particular lunch at Keenawaii’s Kitchen, hosted by native Haida elder Roberta Olsen. Superbly plated programs, from an appetizer of dried seaweed to a huckleberry dessert with nettle tea, embody Haida data of sustainable foraging in one of many planet’s most pristine marine-temperate forest ecosystems.
Churchill, Canada: The Polar Bear Capital of the World
Northern Manitoba bursts with berries that present meals for each individuals and polar bears: cranberries, crowberries, cloudberries, dewberries, thimbleberries, lingonberries, gooseberries, bunchberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and aptly named alpine bearberries. For generations, First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples have relied on berries as a dietary staple—consuming them contemporary, drying them for the winter and even boiling them for tea. Harvesting these fruits, which ripened below the midnight solar, has all the time been a communal occasion.
Fireweed paints Churchill’s tundra in vivid purple, one of many 700 plant species thriving in Wapusk Nationwide Park. Indigenous communities have lengthy integrated it into their meals, and Heather Spence-Botelho, a Parks Canada Data Weaver and Churchill resident, makes fireweed jelly with blossoms gathered in late August. Serve fireweed jelly or berry jam with bannock, an Indigenous frybread.
Throughout my travels with Nat Hab to the Polar Bear Capital of the World, I grew curious in regards to the diets of individuals and animals residing on this distant portion of the subarctic. Spurred by my background in animal habits and meals anthropology, I discovered that subsistence life in Churchill had been intrinsically interlinked with wildlife and their meals sources. Polar bears complement their eating regimen with many Indigenous conventional meals, together with berries, fungi and vegetation. © Emily Goodheart
Through the years, Nat Hab has partnered with Churchill’s leaders to assist native residents, together with internet hosting an annual Thanksgiving celebration and neighborhood breakfasts for lots of of townsfolk; offering meals for the college breakfast program; and contributing to meals drives with leftover groceries from meals served aboard our Polar Rovers. Nat Hab additionally helps The Churchill Northern Research Middle’s hydroponic greenhouse. The farm gives 250-400 items of produce every week, together with lettuce, kale and herbs, to native grocery shops, the hospital cafeteria, and native eating places and companies. To assist this program flourish, Nat Hab funded the Middle’s hydroponic cupboard, a brand new instructional element that provides hands-on studying experiences for scientists, residents and guests. “Churchill is a chilly tundra a lot of the 12 months. We invested in hydroponic farming to assist them develop contemporary greens year-round. Should you’re headed on a Nat Hab polar bear journey, you’ll possible have your personal Rocket Greens salad!” shares Nat Hab’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Courtroom Whelan.
Alaska
Berries abound in Alaska, a favourite of bears and people alike. Salmonberries, vibrant orange jewels on the tundra, are used within the Indigenous dessert akutaq (Alaskan ice cream). Substitute animal fats with a vegetarian various and sweeten with a contact of native birch syrup for a culinary delight that could be a testomony to Alaska’s resourceful meals traditions.
Yellowstone Nationwide Park
Acorns have lengthy been a dietary staple for Indigenous communities across the Yellowstone area, who developed strategies for leaching out tannins to make these nuts extra palatable. Impressed by their culinary heritage, acorn stew with roasted acorn flour pays tribute to this custom, particularly when enhanced by the earthy depth of foraged morel mushrooms.
In 2019, Nat Hab operated the World’s First Zero Waste Journey in Yellowstone Nationwide Park, an formidable quest to scale back waste so dramatically that every little thing we generated on a weeklong journey would match into one quart-sized bottle. And we did it!
Glacier Nationwide Park
Blackfeet tribes in Montana have lengthy gathered native berries, together with serviceberries and chokecherries. A heat Blackfeet berry soup goes glorious with fry bread and is straightforward to make—simply berries, sugar and water!
Acadia Nationwide Park
Fiddlehead ferns, dandelion greens and sorrel are conventional spring meals of the Wabanaki in Maine, and are all scrumptious sautéed with garlic. The Pine Tree State’s well-known blueberry pie is an ode to the wild lowbush blueberries that thrive in Maine’s acidic soils, harvested by the Wabanaki for hundreds of years. Topped with contemporary cream, it’s a slice of basic New England summer season.
Meals Sustainability & Conservation Journey
Wherever you go, sustainably sourced, plant-forward and planet-based meals are a part of defending wildlife habitats and cultural identities. At Nat Hab, we prioritize:
- Accountable Sourcing: We favor native producers, honest labor practices and moral harvest strategies.
- Waste Discount: We constantly scale back waste, innovating new methods to guard the environments we discover.
- Group Help: By participating Indigenous and native communities, we assist maintain conventional agriculture and guarantee honest compensation.
- Innovation & Training: We observe the most recent in meals sustainability, all the time in search of methods to minimize our footprint whereas celebrating native cuisines.
Learn extra about our strategy to sustainable meals and waste discount to find how one can be part of this world effort!
Meals is extra than simply nourishment; it’s a gateway to understanding cultures, ecosystems and ourselves. So subsequent time you’re dreaming of exploring Slovenia’s alpine meadows or Botswana’s savannas, keep in mind that each chew tells a narrative—of the farmers and foragers, of the soil and local weather, and of the traditions handed down by way of generations.
