Modern vegetarianism came to Russia later than to the West. First of all, it is linked with the fact that the process of industrialization started in Russia later than in Europe and North America. Besides, by that time Russia had already had an old religious tradition of refraining from meat-containing food.

Up to the beginning of the 20th century the fast was of greater importance to Russian Orthodox believers of all social classes than in European countries. Four long-lasing fast periods and fasting regime on Wednesdays and Fridays in total exceeded 200 days a year.

By the end of the 19th century there had been several vegetarian communities in Russia which, however, were banned by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution of 1917. Penetration of the Soviet ideology into all spheres of social life and monopolization of the scientific thought led to proclaiming the vegetarian principles bourgeois and pseudoscientific. The Big Soviet Encyclopaedia officially portrayed vegetarianism as an extremely anti-scientific movement.

Although vegetarianism was not supported in the USSR during decades, yet the movement existed. Now it is still not so spread and developed compared to the West, but has been gaining popularity as the Eastern philosophic influences and yoga come to Russia.

While a vegetarian traveller is most likely to encounter problems with dining in smaller Russian cities, Moscow can offer a number of worthy restaurants and cafes for veggies. The most well-known restaurant of international vegetarian cuisine in the Russian capital is Jagannath. The restaurant is done in the Hindu style and offers a variety of exotic veggie food and a phyto-bar with ethnic and Middle Ages drinks. Apart from the restaurant there is also Jagannath café offering meals for reasonable prices and a shop of healthy nutrition.

Another popular veggie café in Moscow is Avocado that serves international, authorial, and fusion cuisine, uses only ecologically clean products, and follows the basic principles of vegetarian cooking. Amongst the main advantages of the café is being one of the few entirely non-smoking dining places in Moscow.

Veggie dining options in Moscow

Avocado

12 Chistoprudny Bulvar, 10am-11pm

Chistye Prudy metro station

Café Ganga

37B Leningradsky Prospect (3rd floor of the Start shopping centre), 9am-8pm

Begovaya metro station

Jagannath

11 Kuznetsky Most Street, 11am-11pm

Kuznetsky Most metro station

Le Pain Quotidien

2 Ploschad Kievskogo Vokzala (4th floor of the Europeisky shopping centre), 10am-11pm

Kievskaya metro station

Indian Spices (store)

36/2 Sretenka Street, 9am-9pm

Sukharevskaya metro station

5/2 Miklukho-Maklaya Street, 10am-10pm

Belyaevo or Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station

Maharaja

2 Starosadsky Pereulok, 12am-12pm

Kitai-Gorod metro station

Om Café

15/1 Novy Arbat, 11am-12pm

Arbatskaya metro station

Put` K Sebe

16 Krasnopresnenskaya Street, 10am-9pm

Novoslobodskaya metro station

6 Novokuznetskaya Street, 10am-9pm

Novokuznetskaya metro station

Tandoor

31/1 Tverskaya Street, 12am-12pm

Mayakovskaya metro station

Vkhod Vykhod

11 Ordzhonikidze Street, 10am-9pm

Leninsky Prospect metro station

Sources:
    www.mosprod.ru
    magazines.russ.ru

Lavrentyeva Natalya