Traveling as a vegan should be about discovering new cities, sharing memorable meals and trying foods you cannot find at home, not decoding every sauce while your family waits at the table.
The challenge is that a dish can look completely plant-based while containing butter, egg, lard, fish stock, anchovies or seafood-based seasoning. Even the word “vegetarian” may not mean vegan in the country you are visiting.
The solution is not to memorize an entire phrasebook. It is to learn the ingredient words that expose hidden animal products.
Save this language cheat sheet before you fly. You can also use the VexVegan restaurant map to pre-load vegan-friendly places, then scan unfamiliar packaged food with the app’s barcode scanner when you arrive.
First: “vegetarian” does not always mean vegan
In many countries, vegetarian food may still contain:
- Milk, cream, butter, cheese or yogurt
- Eggs
- Honey
- Meat or fish stock
- Fish sauce, oyster sauce or shrimp paste
- Lard or other animal fats
- Anchovies or bonito flakes
In Thailand, for example, a “vegetarian” stir-fry may still contain fish sauce or oyster sauce. In Japan, a vegetable soup may be made with fish-based dashi. In Mexico, beans, rice and tortillas may be prepared with pork lard.
When in doubt, say vegan and name the ingredients you avoid. Showing a written card is often clearer than relying on pronunciation.
The eight-language hidden-ingredient cheat sheet
These are the words worth recognizing on menus, labels and ingredient lists. Regional spelling and grammar can vary, so treat them as warning signals, not a complete guarantee that a product is unsuitable.
1. Italian
Italian food offers plenty of naturally vegan options, but fresh pasta, risotto, pesto, pastries and soups can hide dairy, egg or stock.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| latte | milk |
| burro | butter |
| uova | eggs |
| lardo | lard |
| acciughe | anchovies |
| formaggio | cheese |
| strutto | rendered pork fat |
Useful phrase:
Senza latticini, uova, salsa di pesce e carne, per favore.
No dairy, egg, fish sauce and meat, please.
Also ask about brodo di carne (meat stock). Pizza marinara and pasta with garlic and olive oil may be vegan, but confirm the dough, sauce and cooking method before ordering.
2. French
French menus often use butter, cream and cheese in dishes that appear vegetable-forward. Pastries and desserts need extra attention.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lait | milk |
| beurre | butter |
| œufs | eggs |
| gélatine | gelatin |
| saindoux | lard |
| anchois | anchovies |
| fromage | cheese |
Useful phrase:
Sans produits laitiers, œufs, sauce de poisson et viande, s’il vous plaît.
Without dairy, egg, fish sauce and meat, please.
Végétalien is more precise than végétarien, although “vegan” is widely understood in many cities. Check for crème (cream), miel (honey), présure (rennet) and caséine (casein) on labels.
3. Spanish
Spanish-speaking countries can be very welcoming to vegan travelers, but regional cooking fats are important. In Mexico and parts of Central America, manteca may appear in beans, rice, tamales, tortillas and pastries.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| leche | milk |
| mantequilla | butter |
| huevos | eggs |
| manteca | lard or animal fat |
| gelatina | gelatin |
| anchoas | anchovies |
| queso | cheese |
Useful phrase:
Sin lácteos, huevos, salsa de pescado ni carne, por favor.
Without dairy, egg, fish sauce or meat, please.
Also ask about caldo de pollo (chicken stock), caldo de carne (meat stock) and mayonesa (mayonnaise). “Sin carne” alone may not exclude dairy, egg or fish.
4. German
German supermarkets often have helpful vegan labeling, but restaurants may still use butter, cream, egg, cheese or gelatin in familiar dishes.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Milch | milk |
| Butter | butter |
| Ei | egg |
| Gelatine | gelatin |
| Schmalz | lard |
| Sardellen | anchovies |
| Käse | cheese |
Useful phrase:
Bitte ohne Milchprodukte, Ei, Fischsauce und Fleisch.
Please without dairy, egg, fish sauce and meat.
Other label words to notice include Sahne (cream), Molke (whey), Honig (honey) and Lab (rennet). A dish labeled vegetarisch may still contain eggs or dairy; look for vegan or pflanzlich when possible.
5. Portuguese
Portugal and Brazil offer wonderful plant-based meals, but traditional cooking may include lard, meat stock or bacon fat. In Brazil, ask carefully about rice, beans and buffet dishes.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| leite | milk |
| manteiga | butter |
| ovos | eggs |
| banha | lard |
| gelatina | gelatin |
| anchovas | anchovies |
| queijo | cheese |
Useful phrase:
Sem laticínios, ovos, molho de peixe e carne, por favor.
Without dairy, egg, fish sauce and meat, please.
Ask Tem banha? (Does it contain lard?) and Tem caldo de carne? (Does it contain meat stock?). In Brazil, bacon or gordura de porco (pork fat) may be used even when no meat is visible.
6. Greek
Greek salads, vegetable plates and mezze can look vegan but often arrive with feta, yogurt, honey or butter. Nistísimo means fasting food and can be a useful lead, but clarify every ingredient because seafood may still appear in some fasting dishes.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| γάλα (gála) | milk |
| βούτυρο (voútyro) | butter |
| αυγά (avgá) | eggs |
| ζελατίνη (zelatíni) | gelatin |
| λαρδί (lardí) | lard |
| αντσούγιες (antsoúgies) | anchovies |
| τυρί (tyrí) | cheese |
Useful phrase:
Χωρίς γαλακτοκομικά, αυγά, σάλτσα ψαριού και κρέας, παρακαλώ.
Without dairy, egg, fish sauce and meat, please.
You can also ask for χωρίς τυρί (without cheese) and χωρίς γιαούρτι (without yogurt).
7. Japanese
Japan’s biggest hidden ingredient is often not visible on the plate: fish-based stock. Dashi and bonito flakes can appear in miso soup, ramen, noodle sauces, simmered vegetables and rice seasonings.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 乳製品 (nyūseihin) | dairy products |
| バター (batā) | butter |
| 卵 (tamago) | egg |
| ラード (rādo) | lard |
| アンチョビ (ancho bi) | anchovy |
| チーズ (chīzu) | cheese |
| ゼラチン (zerachin) | gelatin |
The two words to remember most are:
- だし (dashi): stock, often fish-based
- かつおぶし (katsuobushi), dried bonito flakes
Useful phrase:
乳製品、卵、魚醤、肉なしでお願いします。
No dairy, egg, fish sauce or meat, please.
For soup and noodles, add:
だしとかつおぶしなしでお願いします。
Please prepare it without dashi or bonito flakes.
Shojin ryori, or Buddhist temple cuisine, can be a strong vegan lead, but confirm whether honey, dairy or egg is used.
8. Thai
Thailand has a particularly useful vegan food system: เจ (jay). Look for yellow signs with the red เจ character. Jay food excludes meat, seafood, dairy and eggs, although it traditionally also avoids garlic and onion.
Ordinary มังสวิรัติ (mangsawirat) means vegetarian and is not always vegan.
| Watch for | Meaning |
|---|---|
| นม (nom) | milk |
| เนย (noei) | butter |
| ไข่ (khai) | egg |
| น้ำมันหมู (nam man muu) | lard or pork fat |
| ปลา (plaa) | fish |
| ชีส (chiit) | cheese |
| เจลาติน (jelatin) | gelatin |
The critical hidden ingredients are:
- น้ำปลา (nam pla): fish sauce
- กะปิ (kapi): shrimp paste
- ซอสหอยนางรม: oyster sauce
Useful phrase:
ไม่ใส่นม ไม่ใส่ไข่ ไม่ใส่น้ำปลา ไม่ใส่เนื้อสัตว์นะคะ/ครับ
No dairy, no egg, no fish sauce and no meat, please.
At a non-Jay restaurant, ask separately for ไม่ใส่กะปิ (no shrimp paste) and ไม่ใส่ซอสหอยนางรม (no oyster sauce). A vegetable curry can still contain shrimp paste in the curry base.
Markets and street-food stalls: watch the preparation
Menus are not the only place hidden ingredients appear. At a market or street stall:
- Point to the exact food you want.
- Ask about the broth, sauce, marinade and cooking fat.
- Ask whether the same wok, fryer or utensils are used for meat or fish.
- Avoid unlabeled premixed sauces when staff cannot identify the ingredients.
- Choose sealed packaged snacks, whole fruit, plain rice or clearly identifiable vegetables if communication breaks down.
A green leaf or “V” symbol may mean vegetarian rather than vegan. Watch the vendor prepare the food instead of assuming that a dish is safe because it contains visible vegetables.
Allergy cards and cross-contact
If you are traveling with a serious dairy or egg allergy, or your family must avoid cross-contact, carry a professionally translated allergy card. FARE offers printable chef cards in languages including French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.
A vegan request and an allergy request are not identical. Your card should explain that even traces or cross-contact from shared utensils, grills, fryers, pans and cutting boards can cause illness. Ask to speak with a manager or chef, and do not eat somewhere staff cannot confidently explain how your food will be prepared.
Plan before you land with VexVegan
A little preparation makes vegan travel much more relaxed. Before departure:
- Save your key ingredient words offline.
- Screenshot your translation card.
- Use VexVegan’s restaurant map to find plant-based spots near your hotel, airport and planned day trips.
- Scan packaged snacks and sauces with the barcode scanner; it works with unfamiliar and foreign packaging when products are in the database.
- Use the database of millions of rated items to compare options.
- Check real-time hidden-ingredient alerts before buying food at a supermarket.
- Ask the VexVegan community for local recommendations from vegans who have already visited.
For more practical strategies, read VexVegan’s guide to hidden ingredients while eating out and traveling.
You do not need perfect pronunciation to find great vegan food abroad. Learn the words that matter, ask specific questions, carry a clear card and give yourself a backup plan. With the right preparation, and a supportive vegan app in your pocket, the world becomes a much easier place to explore, one plant-based meal at a time.
