If I close my eyes and go back to 2014, I can still feel the sadness in my heart from realizing that out of 60 different cookie brands on the shelves at the store, only one was vegan friendly.
Six years later, my local stores get at least one to two new vegan certified products a month that I can happily invest in. This is what I call happiness, guys.
I love my country. I am a patriot and sometimes I cry when I listen to songs that praise our beautiful mountains, our coastline and all the people who love Slovenia as much as I do.
So seeing how we are making progress when it comes to living ethically and having vegan options everywhere, it makes me even prouder to see our evolution. We used to live under socialism, and that’s the opposite of who we are becoming.
We are a free country that values nature, good-hearted conversations and food that grows on our gardens. We are not living in a grey world anymore; we crave freedom and greenness in our lives.
If you are interested in learning how to be vegan in Slovenia, I want to share with you what makes it easy for me personally.
- Fresh locally grown vegetables and fruits are everywhere. We are surrounded by an abundance of plants that were grown with love, care and were, usually, brought to the store by the people whom we personally know.
- There are countless online shops that offer amazing, high-quality plant-based products. My personal favorite is Vegansko as they have cappuccinos that I am slightly addicted to. I also love how they support Slovenian companies and donate to various charities.
- Neighbours and family members who have big gardens love to share produce with us because one can only eat so much salad before it gets bad. Every summer we get plenty of cucumbers, tomatoes and green leafy veggies that we can eat for lunch and dinner. Sharing food from our backyard with each other is a big part of our culture – especially in the countryside.
- As mentioned, Slovenian people love gardening and growing their own food and my family is no exception. We created a big vegetable and fruit garden that provides us with apples, pears, grapes, cherries, figs, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries among many, many other delicious foods.
Every day brings new opportunities, not only to see more vegan options in our stores but to speak up for the injustices that are occurring behind closed doors.
Being vegan in Slovenia is quite honestly the easiest thing in the world, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges and obstacles.
This delicious chocolate cake is from Hiša Kruha in Maribor. The reason why it took me 11 months to transition to veganism was that I could not find vegan cake anywhere, and look at us now.
Just like with most things in life, one must be prepared, capable of learning new things and know the basics of whatever it is they are interested in. Just because being vegan in Slovenia is easy, doesn’t mean every situation is smooth as butter.
I am here to support you on your journey, no matter where you’re from. One thing I know to be true is that you can be in Argentina, Tanzania or the Balkans and still live an ethical life that makes you feel good.
If you want daily tips on how to create a sustainable vegan lifestyle make sure you are following me on Instagram and Pinterest.
Tanja
