Usta – the vegan issue

The plants more and more often come to the forefront – just like the ones in the paintings of Juan Sánchez Cotán, sensually described by Anna Królikiewicz, who also shares her passion for cauliflower romanesco. We unveil the beauty of the vegetables anew, for example during our visit to the farmstead of Ludwik Majlert in Warsaw’s Białołęka. It was his grandfather Wilhelm who had introduced the fashion for asparagus in Poland. His descendants plant and harvest vegetables that have long been forgotten, such as swede, zucchini blossom and chard. Their beautifully arranged shop with baskets full of fresh herbs, pumpkins piling on a wooden cart, vintage scales and old family photographs is a place where you can take a deep breath. You will read the story of this amazing family in the new issue of USTA.

This issue would have never been possible without walks in the fields and direct contact with the ground. We were looking for unusual plants, increasingly popular with restaurant chefs. We described some of them: fiddlehead ferns, mizuna or oysterplant with surprising flavour and looks.

We also took a scientific look at the plants, we wanted to verify the information populating the media about the plants feeling the pain and fear. What is it really like, you will learn reading “The Genres of Light”, a text by Łukasz Kaniewski.

No matter what the politicians think about the veganism, it is an increasingly popular phenomenon. It is worth looking at closely and understand where it comes from. It is, however, neither as new, nor as hip as it seems. To realise it, we need to get back to the 1930s in Vilnius, where Fania Lewando had been running a vegan restaurant.

Meanwhile, the number of people declaring themselves vegan is growing each year. In the article the “The Power of Plants” we present the most influential vegans in Poland and in “Tour de Vege” we send you to the best restaurants with green menu.

So this is the issue that takes you on a trip across Poland. This time our guide doesn’t concentrate on one city but is rather a base of holiday spots. We reveal our favourites, verified addresses while wishing you a beautiful summer full of connection with the energy of the nature.