About

We started Alternative Kitchen in Beirut because we kept hearing the same thing: that veganism is foreign, that it is expensive, and that it is not for people like us. We don’t believe any of it.

Lebanese cooking has always been full of plants. Mujaddara, foul, kibbeh adas, loubieh bi zeit: our grandparents ate this way most days, because meat was rare and dear. When the economy collapsed in 2019 and imported vegan products became unaffordable, many people here gave up on eating vegan, without noticing that the cheapest food in the market already was.

Food is also where the harm happens. Billions of animals are bred, confined and killed every year for what ends up on our plates, and most of it happens where no one can see. We think people should know that, and we think they can act on it without giving up the food they grew up with.

So we cook, and we talk. The Vegan Guide Show teaches simple recipes from scratch, from tahini and labneh to shepherd’s pie. The podcast sits down with people in Lebanon who work for animals, for food and for justice. The articles look at what happens before food reaches the plate. We are not here to shame anyone. We would rather meet people in their kitchens, with food they already know, and let the questions come from there.