The Alpe-Adria-Trail – A delight for vegetarians

This year marks the 30th anniversary of my decision to become a vegetarian. At least long enough that I can claim to know every joke about vegetarians by now. Since the end of the eighties of the last century – at that time i lived in the heart of Upper Bavaria – I have gone through almost all phases of the vegetarian life, which was still very unknown at that time: from vegetable platters with eggs (my personal trauma) to ” ah, as a vegetarian you need the beef broth much more than we do”.

Fortunately, a lot has changed today. Nobody gets grumpy anymore if you don’t eat meat, even if the jokes (there are no new ones which are funny) are still present. Especially the sudden vegan boom – as if there had been a huge marketing campaign controlled by an invisible hand – has turned many things for the good of vegetarians and vegans.

But what about the Alpe-Adria-Trail with its suitability for vegetarian long distance hiking? No problem or do you have to suffer from starvation after strenuous hiking days? No: no hunger – and yes: lots of pure enjoyment. In fact, the famous Carinthian national dish is a vegetarian dish: the Carinthian Kasnudeln. Without this dish you don’t know Carinthia. But you don’t have to eat Carinthian Kasnudeln all the time (by the way, there is also a vegan version available): Especially in the upper part of Carinthia the Käsespätzle and the (Eastern Tyrolean) Schlipfkrapfen are quite common. And, even though desserts are always vegetarian, I remember the delicious Kletzennudeln, which you absolutely have to try once!

Fresh air up in the mountains plus exercise = appetite. At alpine huts or in guest houses along the Alpe-Adria-Trail you can get many vegetarian and vegan delicacies so that you can continue your hike feeling energized. © Kärnten Werbung/Franz Gerdl

The closer you get to Italy on the Alpe-Adria Trail, the stronger the italian influence will be (not only) in the culinary part. And for vegetarians, Italy is probably the biggest paradise on earth after India (well, I admit you won’t find indian food on the Alpe-Adria-Trail).

Charming dining along the Alpe Adria Trail © Kärnten Werbung/Wolfgang Hummer

In Carinthia, agriculture is – like every region in the Alps – traditionally strongly oriented towards livestock farming and alpine agriculture. This is why we all like Carinthia’s beautiful alpine landscape so much – it would not exist without cattle farming. Along the Alpe-Adria-Trail there has always been something at the table that is today called Slow Food and the latest trend: a self-produced cheese board (possibly the cows are looking around the corner at the Almhütte where you are seated), homemade elderberry juice, freshly baked bread. If you know the difference in taste, you know what I mean: A homemade reindling or a cheese soup from own production cannot be beaten in taste and the sustainability of the production is second to none. And this is a point that is very important for me as a vegetarian: living sustainably and eating consciously.

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