Nauru holds the twin distinction of being the most meat obsessed nations on earth, as well as the least visited one. How, therefore, would a vegan, or vegetarian fare in this rarely visited nation? We are happy to explain.
Food culture in Nauru
If you’d like to know about the cuisine of Nauru check this post otherwise, we shall give a brief intro. Nauru fell under the trap that has affected much of the Pacific Islands. They started to rely on tinned goods too much. Since the war, much of the Pacific have adopted spam and corned beef as their staples. Check out the spam aisle at the supermarket in Nauru, both scary and a little bit amazing.
There are basically no fruit, or vegetables on Nauru, with fruit like bananas being difficult, or expensive to get hold of (more on this later).
Breakfast in Nauru
If you are staying at the Hotel Menem you will be able to get breakfast here. If you are vegetarian, there are eggs, and if you are vegan, they have bread and jam.
Restaurants in Nauru
All of the restaurants in Nauru are Chinese restaurants with the exception of the Hotel Menem and Bayview. The latter two have decent vegetarian options, whilst the Chinese restaurants have rice and noodle dishes. Amazingly you should consider learning Chinese for “no meat” if you are traveling here alone.
The food in Nauru is not all that great, and regardless of if you are a vegan, vegetarian, or carnivore, you will be bored with Chinese food by the end of it.
Fruit and Veg at Cappelli
Capelli is the main supermarket in Nauru, and aside from getting blown away by the Spam aisle, it is possible to buy fruit and vegetables here. All of the fruit here is expensive as it is imported. They do not grow bands on Nauru. If you are staying at Hotel Menem, then your hotel will be equipped with a fridge.
To summarize what a vegan Nauru experience will be like, basically just as disappointing as a vegan, or meat-based diet. Luckily your next stop will most probably be Fiji, or Kiribati, both of which are better serviced to vegans.
Check out Nauru on our Least Visited Countries Tour.
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