Kirsten Skaarup

The foundation of my work and my more than 30 books on green and sustainable food is the desire to contribute to a cleaner world, to improve animal welfare – and to show how wonderful plant-based food tastes. We are in the midst of a serious climate crisis. We are forced to reconsider our way of living. Multiple initiatives are needed. One of the easiest and most immediate solutions is to reduce our massive animal production and consume more plant-based foods. Agriculture accounts for about 1/3 of climate change impacts. This also includes the pollution of soil, water, and air. Today, traces of pesticides are found in nearly all water boreholes. Today, we can no longer afford just to talk about choosing green and organic food – it is an absolute necessity. And fear not: it tastes wonderful! Ride the green wave and experience the joy of not only helping to save the climate and animals, but also the delightful lightness in body and soul that plant-based food provides.

A life with food, books, and travel Besides food, my entire existence has revolved around books and travel. I have been fortunate to spend my entire life in the book industry. First as a bookseller, then as a publishing editor, and later 20 years as an independent publisher with Forlaget Olivia, which I sold to Politikens Forlag in 2003. In between, I have worked at publishing houses in London and Munich. When I became a vegetarian over 50 years ago, it revolutionized my life. Before that, I had no idea how food truly tasted. When I started eating green, I experienced such strong flavors that I’ve essentially lived to eat rather than eaten to live since. And you can easily do that with green food. You have to eat mountains of vegetables to gain weight. So, if you have weight problems, follow my recipes. I dare say it’s one of the world’s tastiest and easiest diets. There’s no deprivation, only pure enjoyment… The nuances of taste in vegetables, herbs, spices, grains, beans, and all the other wonderful ingredients from Mother Earth are a grand experience when prepared right. I simply love food. For me, food is art. The supreme meal is on par with standing on a Himalayan mountain peak watching the sunrise or sitting on a Cuban beach watching the sunset. For me, food brings joy similar to listening to a wonderful opera or concert, viewing intriguing paintings, reading a horizon-expanding book, or sipping a fine red wine with many taste layers. Good food is a major artistic experience. I’m happy when I cook, I’m happy when I eat, but I’m happiest when I can share it with others. I’ve traveled to over 60 countries to find healthy, delicious, and exciting recipes for the Danish-loving kitchen. I’ve always traveled backpacking under primitive conditions. This allowed me to meet thousands of people and be invited into countless foreign kitchens. This mode of traveling made me a member of Danish Female Adventurers. An exclusive club, which I chaired for 5 years. I’ve published over 30 cookbooks over the years with the best-seller “Vegetarian Kitchen” being the most popular, with over 120,000 copies sold. It has also been published in the USA and Germany. My latest publications are “Climate-loving meatballs, steaks, pates & pies,” released in February 2019, and “Green Sandwiches,” released in 2022. The main purpose of my green recipes is animal welfare. Our current livestock farming is so perverted that probably no one would eat these animals if they knew how they lived their short and miserable lives. But climate and ecology are also extremely important to me. Everything is interconnected. If we eat the plants of Mother Earth directly rather than first passing them through animals, we’re already making significant progress. And there would then be enough food for everyone on this fragile little planet. Currently, over a billion people are starving. And remember: sustainable food is beautiful and vibrant. Junk food, burdening animals, nature, and ourselves, is unappealing.

Instagram: @kirstenskaarup – Blog: KirstenSkaarup.dk