There is good news for people who have had enough of the vegetarian options in restaurants being no more than the side dishes from meat courses, and non-meat-eaters who want to get creative in the catering industry will also be delighted: it is now possible to get a qualification in “vegetarian cooking” in Austria.
The training course includes vegan and vegetarian cooking and will last three years. The recipes are still being perfected, there is still some discussion about which ingredients count as meat-free, and a few final decisions need to be taken in vocational schools (text books, timetables and school selection) before things can get started on 1st January 2025. The course will initially be a pilot with continuous assessment.
Austria is playing a pioneering and future-orientated role with this new subject option; lots of people are giving up animal products completely, or consciously restricting their consumption, and this is not just a trend but a long-term development. The course will afford people who are themselves vegan or who do not wish to work with meat for some other reason the opportunity to gain a qualification in the catering industry. Seen from this perspective, it is also a way of addressing a shortage in personnel, and there will also be more variety on the menu, which will please lots of restaurant-goers.
