We’re in Veganuary at the moment, so airlines are hopping on the Vegan wagon with their offerings – with Emirates showing off.
The airline has noted a surge of 40% in customer demand for plant-based meals. To meet this demand in 2024, Emirates will introduce an array of new vegan dishes onboard and in lounges later this year, adding even more dishes to its ‘vegan vault’ of more than 300 curated plant-based recipes.
Emirates has served up more than 450,000 plant-based meals onboard, an increase from 280,000 plant-based meals served in 2022, with the biggest increases on routes to China, Japan and the Philippines. Notably, the biggest increase in consumption of vegan meals occurred in Economy Class.
In all four classes, Emirates has items to tease the tastebuds
First class
Items such as creamy polenta cake with thyme mushroom ragout, sautéed spinach drizzled in a rich root vegetable jus will be offered, along with aubergine curry with charred rice and turmeric potato, with a dash of coconut and mint chutney.
Vegan Polenta Cake
Desserts feature curated contrasts including the tartness of rhubarb tempered with strawberry charlotte, Chantilly cream and raspberry tuille, or a tempting warm chocolate fondant, dashed with salted caramel sauce and whipped cashew cream.
Pistachio Raspberry Mousse
Business Class
The airline offers a range of curated dishes are offered including roasted cauliflower with ancient grains, caramelised pear and lovage pesto or a warming ragout of Asian tofu and shitake mushroom with glass noodles, as well as vegan kebab.
Desserts include tropical coconut pineapple cake or indulge in a chocolate cheesecake accented by a dark chocolate cigar and strawberry compote.
Economy Class
There are offerings such as chickpea crepe stuffed with carrot, peppers, mushroom and tomato concasse, experience a textured pumpkin frittata, tuck into a tofu tikka masala or enjoy a hearty chickpea kale stew with parsley pilaf rice and baby spinach.
These are accompanied with vegan desserts including a coconut mousse with mango compote, moist banana cake with chocolate crumble or luscious chocolate pudding with cocoa soil.
Premium Economy
Options include dishes like jackfruit curry with basmati rice, or a rich squash chestnut stew followed by a light chocolate tofu cheesecake or a smooth and raspberry parfait with a pop of orange compote.
More options coming soon
Later in the year, Emirates will be launching a selection of new vegan main courses, new vegan snacks such as fruit muffins and vegan pizza, and an array of delectable desserts including chocolate pecan cake, pistachio raspberry and raspberry tonka cake.
In total, Emirates will rotate through over 300 Vegan options
Ordering Vegan options
Vegan options are available to pre-order on board and order directly in First Class, as well as in Emirates Lounges. Customers can request vegan meals on all Emirates flights and across all classes of travel up to 24 hours before departure.
Giving the choice to passengers
We can go on a lot about passenger experience – but there are always two things people remember – how long you were stuck in the tube that took you in the sky and the food – and thus, the quality of food, as well as the options, becomes a very important differentiator between airlines.
And airlines by their nature offer more choice of meals, especially those marketing to those with dietary/religious requirements.
Seeing Emirates work around their menu rotations as well as dedication to vegan offerings (along with other meals), both in the air and in their lounge complexes will provide both reassurance and choice to those who have a dietary requirement – vegan, or otherwise.
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