Vegetarian Butcher Shop Open

Vegans living in The Hague are buying food from a butcher. De Vegetarische Slager—aka The Vegetarian Butcher—is Europe’s, and possibly the world’s, first meat-free butcher shop. Jaap Korteweg, one of the shop’s owners and an eighth-generation lupin seed farmer, opened the store to provide a protein-rich, sustainable alternative to meat while reducing the environmental impact of the extensive soy industry in South America. Products available at De Vegetarische Slager include traditional meat-free options such as BBQ tofu and quinoa, as well as the shop’s own brand of lupin products like croquettes and sandwich patties. Lupin is a legume native to the Mediterranean region and similar in taste to a fava bean.