The Global Vegan Family Cookbook
Brian McCarthy

As the cultures of the world become closer and more familiar to us, we have the opportunity to enjoy international cuisine more easily and more frequently. When I was growing up in Oregon there were perhaps four or five international restaurants in my town. Now four or five international restaurants can be found by biking down just a couple of blocks. Because many cuisines include dishes without meat and dairy by their nature, vegan cuisine has become more widely available. With all of this interesting food being served, I was motivated to learn this fare and share it with others.

But was my international cooking authentic? Would it be accepted by the international community? I put it to the test when I worked at the technology company Intel, serving meals that included Papa Rellenos and Vegetable Vindaloo. My lunch lines started filling with a diverse group which included, among others, Indian, Chinese, Russian, French, Irish, Hungarian, and American employees. With the coaching of my devoted customers, I started serving 80-130 vegan international meals five days a week for the next three years. Over this period of time I learned how to cook international food as efficiently and economically as possible.

Lately I have had the honor to cook at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Cooking vegan food for MIT students is rewarding, to say the least. While they feed their minds, I get to feed their bodies. MIT students are not much different than corporate employees in their diversity (a primary difference is MIT students can come to the cafeteria in their pajamas). The students are very educated, adventuresome, and respectful, and many of them eat vegan or vegetarian.

In this cookbook I’ve tried to include recipes from every corner of the world, some which you may be familiar with and some that sound strange (but I hope you’ll try anyway). I’ve included recipes from the United States, since parts of the U.S. are as varied as any country. In particular I’ve added a couple of desserts from my home state of Oregon. Most of the recipes are for dishes that you would eat if you were in that part of the world, while some are “fusion” dishes from my own repertoire.

Whether these recipes are from far away or closer to home, I hope you find them as useful as I have in helping to bring the members of our world community together.

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