Chapter One: An Entry Log to Veganism

The earliest records of plant-based diets—people who abstain from eating meat, poultry, and fish but still consume dairy, eggs, and honey—date back to the 500s BCE in Ancient Greece, where the mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras of Samos advocated for dietary restrictions rooted in ritual purity. His followers likely avoided certain meats for religious reasons rather than ethical vegetarianism. Similarly, Hinduism and Buddhism emerged as the first religions promoting a diet that avoids harming animals. Around 1000 CE, Arab poet and philosopher Al-Ma’arri introduced plant-based eating to the Arabian Peninsula, declaring that if humans deserve justice, so do animals. However, the idea of a meat-free diet took centuries to spread from East to West.

By 1815, British physician William Lambe promoted a diet consisting only of water and vegetables, claiming it could prevent and even cure diseases such as tuberculosis and skin disorders. In 1838, British thinker James Pierrepont Greaves established the Concordium community at Alcott House in Surrey, England. This commune, considered one of the earliest known plant-based communities, also influenced the formation of the Vegetarian Society, officially founded in Ramsgate in 1847.

Alcott House, Ham, Surrey, was the home of a utopian spiritual community and progressive school which lasted from 1838 to 1848. Supporters of Alcott House, or the Concordium, were a key group involved in the formation of the Vegetarian Society in 1847.

In 1884, a London newspaper described the Alcott House community as practicing a milder form of vegetarianism, allowing dairy and eggs. Though the term "vegan" had yet to be coined, this article hinted at a stricter form of vegetarianism focused on total animal-product exclusion.

The first known plant-based cookbook was published in 1874 by American Russell Thacher Trall, though his works focused on "natural hygiene" rather than explicitly vegan cooking. Rupert H. Wheldon followed with similar publications in England in 1910. In 1931, during a visit to London, Mahatma Gandhi emphasized that plant-based living was more than a health choice—it was an ethical and political stance.

Donald Watson, British animal rights advocate.

The word “vegan” was coined in 1944 by British animal rights advocate Donald Watson. He derived the term from the first three and last two letters of "vegetarian," explaining, “We are entering an era that marks the beginning and end of vegetarianism.” Suggestions like “allvega,” “neo-vegetarian,” “dairyban,” “vitan,” “benevore,” “sanivore,” and the French “beaumangeur” (meaning "good eater") were ultimately passed over in favor of “vegan.”

Watson also founded The Vegan Society, launching campaigns on how to eliminate animal products from human diets. In 1944, The first Issue of The Vegan News was published, It later became The Vegan. War II, tuberculosis outbreaks among cattle in the UK further fueled Watson’s advocacy, as fears of disease transmission led more people to reduce animal product consumption.

The Vegan, published in 1945

Watson became vegetarian at 17 after witnessing the brutal conditions on his Uncle George's pig farm. As he learned more about the animal agriculture industry, he chose to eliminate all animal products, including dairy, eggs, and honey, comparing the industry to slavery in his speeches. Until his passing in 2005, at age 95, Watson lived in England’s Lake District, gardening, leading nature walks, and continuing his activism for animal rights.

Since 1994, November 1st has been celebrated as World Vegan Day, marking The Vegan Society’s 50th anniversary. Louise Wallis, then President of The Vegan Society, established the day to honor its founding. On this day and beyond, vegans abstain from eating meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. They avoid products containing animal-derived ingredients like whey and shun materials such as wool, leather, and pearls.

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