To do its bit to encourage people to follow a healthy lifestyle and help save the planet, Switzerland will be going vegetarian for a day on the ‘Swisstainable Veggie Day’ on October 1, stated sources. Reports added that over 1200 local restaurants and businesses will participate in making this endeavour a success by offering a vegetarian-only menu for a day. Edelweiss, all the restaurants of the McDonald's chain and the 14 restaurants of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) will also dish out vegetarian food for a day.
“Switzerland has always offered a complete culinary experience for every kind of traveller, which is why it is also such a popular destination for Indians. We believe in all things natural including vegetarianism and on October 1, everyone who is in Switzerland will be able to experience some of our best traditional vegetarian dishes like raclette, fondue, the Valais vegetable cake Cholera or polenta from Ticino as well as the popular resti (made with grated potatoes). In addition, Swiss chefs will also whip up a wide range of high-quality vegetarian and vegan dishes (sic),” Ritu Sharma, deputy director, Switzerland tourism told media sources.
Reports said that many nutrition and environmental-research studies conducted over the years have concluded that a vegetarian diet is key to furthering the sustainability of our planet. It has been proven that vegetarian dishes generate less carbon dioxide. A study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology stated that if everyone in Switzerland ate vegetarian food for just one day a week, we could save the equivalent of 3.7 billion kilometres worth of car emissions in just one year.
According to sources, tourists and locals alike, are invited to celebrate the vegetarian day and enjoy a creatively put-together scrumptious vegetarian feast. All participating restaurants and hotels across Switzerland will be developing a special vegetarian menu to showcase the most versatile and diverse range of vegetables grown and sourced locally.