Korean Air to debut new vegan in-flight meals to ‘help reduce carbon emissions’

Korean Air is debuting a new range of vegan in-flight meals starting this month.

The airline says its Korean-style plant-based offerings will help ‘accommodate the growing vegan population’ and ‘help reduce carbon emissions’.

The new menu additions will be available to pre-order up to 24 hours prior to departure on all international routes departing from Korea.

Korean Air – vegan menu

Customers will be able to choose from a slew of vegan dishes such as steamed barley rice with burdock, roasted shiitake mushrooms, mung bean jelly salad and roasted tofu with plum sauce.

For business and first class passengers, ginkgo nut porridge and roasted yam with soybean paste will also be available.

“Inspired by traditional temple cuisine, the airline’s new Korean vegan meals are made using a variety of fresh vegetables and seasonal ingredients, bringing passengers an appetizing meal full of natural flavours,” the airline said.

Demand for vegan in-flight meals

Earlier this year, Emirates said it had seen a whopping 154 percent increase in vegan meals from 2021 to 2022.

The major airline, which has offered dishes since the 1990s, served more than 280,000 plant-based meals last year.

It says vegan-friendly dishes have ‘been rapidly gaining popularity’ in the last decade, particularly on US, Australian, some European and UK routes.

Emirates also launched a brand-new gourmet vegan menu in 2022 to First and Business Class, including luxury dishes like pan-roasted king oyster mushrooms, jackfruit biryani, and a chocolate truffle cake.

Bored of bland tofu? Find out how to infuse it with flavour in our handy guide on how to cook tofu.

Featured image credit: arkus Mainka via Adobe Stock