Between 17 and 22 July, visitors to the canteens of the Heidelberg student service organization once again had the opportunity to try out a range of delicious vegan dishes. During the Vegan Taste Week, which the student service organization has already arranged multiple times over the course of our ten-year partnership, the chefs served up a variety of treats including lupin curry, mushroom risotto, polenta with green asparagus as well as a jackfruit, mango and coconut ragout. And thanks to the information material that we provided over the course of the Vegan Taste Week, the students also had the chance to learn about the benefits of a vegan diet.
Standalone campaigns like the Vegan Taste Week help to enhance the appeal of new recipes for canteen visitors and inform them about the benefits of a plant-based diet. It is vital, however, that plant-based catering becomes the norm rather than the exception—and, by making these changes to its menu, the Heidelberg student service organization is striving to achieve just that. The canteen in Heidelberg now offers a completely meat- and fish-free menu two days a week. But it is not only in Heidelberg that we are seeing changes, because the canteens in Heilbronn and Künzelsau also introduced climate-friendly, vegan/vegetarian »power meals« this semester. Among the dishes on offer are spicy vegan chilli, marinated tofu steaks with lecsó (a Hungarian thick vegetable ragout or stew) and couscous as well as thin strips of tofu cooked in a creamy sauce, served with mushrooms, onions and pasta.