The A-Z of vegetarianism

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Have you got any Os?

Oats: A cereal that is usually grown in temperate climates. Russia is currently the world’s biggest producer. Commonly used in porridge, oatcakes and flapjacks, oats can be eaten cooked or raw and are also used to make a milk. Eating porridge for breakfast might help to fight any mid-morning hunger pangs as oats release their energy supplies slowly and will help to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Oats are also used to feed animals such as horses, cattle and chickens and sometimes found in dog food.  

Oatmeal: Finely or coarsely ground oats.

Offal: Hide your eyes if easily offended… offal is the internal organs and unused body parts of animals that have been butchered and prepared for sale.

Oil: Any substance that is usually liquid at room temperature, slippery and hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. But you already knew that. There are plenty of different types with plenty of different uses. Commonly used for cooking, as a dressing for foods, lubrication, fuel, and on hair.

Okra: See Ladies fingers.

Olive: Small oval fruit of the olive tree, green when unripe, black when ripened, often found stoned and stuffed, used as an appetiser or flavouring and as an ingredient in many meals.

Olive oil: Referred to as ‘Liquid Gold’ by Homer (the philosopher that is, not the Simpson) olive oil can be used to bake or fry but also makes a tasty and healthy salad dressing.

Omelette: Beaten eggs fried into a pancake shape and folded with fillings such as cheese, onion, peas, mushrooms, tofu, or all of them! Recipe: Spanish Omelette

Onion: This underground bulb with a papery skin is nothing to cry about. Well, it is to anybody who has chopped one. Various tips for preventing tears include chewing gum, wearing goggles, a mouthful of bread or water, or keeping the onion in the fridge beforehand.

Oregano: A herb also known as wild marjoram.

Organic: Foods grown without the use of man-made fertilisers, with a limitation on pesticides, and which do not contain genetically modified organisms.

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