The Last Word on the Worchestershire Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Chicken Broth, etc.

[Guest guest]

As list owner, this is my stand on this issue:

 

(1) Worcestershire Sauce: Perfectly acceptable. Some brands have

anchovies and some brands don't. It is an item that could or could

not be vegetarian, and vegetarian versions are available in most every

supermarket. You don't have to state " vegetarian Worcestershire sauce "

in every recipe.

 

(2) Oyster Sauce: Although this commonly contains oysters (hence the

name), there are vegetarian versions available -- which some people

may not be aware of -- but they are more difficult to find. This

ingredient should, perhaps, be stated as " vegetarian oyster sauce " OR

" oyster sauce (vegetarian available) " or something to that effect.

 

(3) Chicken Broth: This just keeps coming up. Obviously " chicken

broth " as stated and taken literally is not vegetarian. However,

there are many vegetarian versions (homemade, canned, packaged, dry).

No one is trying to mislead anyone into thinking chicken broth is

vegetarian or that vegetarians eat chicken broth. It's just that many

people prefer to format recipes as they were written and not edit

them. Since commonsense dictates that a vegetarian would know to use

vegetable broth or a vegetarian " chicken " broth, I let these recipes

" slide by " and am not going to beat anyone over the head for posting

them. On the other hand, since we have many non-vegetarians on the

list, including some who may just join temporarily to collect a few

recipes for a family member, it is preferable to state " vegetarian

'chicken' broth " or something to that effect, but, again, I am not

going to make an issue of it.

 

(4) Gelatin: (while we're at it): Jell-O brand and brands found in

supermarkets are not vegetarian (and most kosher versions are not as

well), and many people do not realize this is an animal product.

There are vegetarian versions available, but they may be difficult for

most people to find. For this list, this particular ingredient should

specifically state " vegetarian gelatin " so there will be no confusion.

This also includes products containing gelatin, such as

marshmallows, since there are currently no longer any vegetarian

marshmallows on the market - but you can make your own.

 

We have lost a wonderful list member again due to this issue being

debated again. She is a long-time vegetarian with many fantastic

recipes that we will miss out on due to her absence. In the future, I

would prefer that any concerns over this issue or any other list issue

be brought to my attention privately instead of on list. I'm going to

place this post somewhere on the Veg-Recipes page for future

reference.

 

Thank you for your consideration.

 

Karen

List Owner