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Good day. I warmly welcome all of you here at the seminar, as well as those watching the broadcast from Střílky. Today, we will discuss food, cooking, spices, and how to win over those who have not yet adopted a vegetarian lifestyle—how to make them enjoy it and say, “Yes, this is wonderful, I want this too.” The first 20 minutes will be an introduction, followed by 30 minutes of practical cooking. Everyone here will then taste the results during a small lunch tasting. The final 10 minutes will be reserved for your questions. The information we present comes from my wife, as part of the project "Quality Nutrition as a Path to Health and a Higher Quality of Life." This project is not only for vegetarians. For example, we are implementing it at Slovnaft in Bratislava, a large producer of diesel and petroleum products. Their kitchen prepares about 5,000 meals daily, and they wish to introduce quality food, including vegetarian options, into their catering services. My wife and I represent just one part of the expert panel for this society. The panel includes numerous specialists from the medical field and gastronomy. Through collaboration, we seek the best way to present vegetarianism. We are one part of a larger team working to present meals in a thoughtful way. Typically, when a yogi presents vegetarianism, they first emphasize karmic reasons—the desire not to cause harm. Then they discuss the impact on nature, and finally health, though they often hesitate on the last point due to many opinions that vegetarianism is not entirely healthy. Our society presents vegetarianism as the best option for healthy, quality nutrition. The foundation is a nutritional recommendation that shows not only health benefits but also a significant contribution to mental performance. There is overwhelming evidence that vegetarianism, or even veganism, is essential for our survival on this planet. The main problem with animal-based foods is that they lack protective substances. People should essentially eat meat raw, because cooking it forms so-called free radicals, which chain together and can cause cancer and many other diseases. You have likely heard the term antioxidants; this is precisely the reason. Foods of animal origin do not contain antioxidants. They also act as tremendous amplifiers of environmental contamination. For example, if a stream contains polychlorinated biphenyls, a fish living there can have a concentration of these toxins in its body ten thousand times higher. Therefore, avoiding animal food is a significant way to avoid environmental contamination. Eggs and dairy products pose another issue. The digestibility of proteins is greatly reduced during heat processing. Eggs should be cooked to a maximum of 70°C to preserve nutrients, but that temperature would not destroy potential salmonella. In 2003, the World Health Organization described the so-called calcium paradox: the more calcium consumed, the higher the incidence of osteoporosis in those countries. Thus, increased intake of milk and dairy products does not solve osteoporosis; it worsens it. There were many arguments that small children cannot be vegetarians. While vegetarianism in adults has never been contradicted by science, the concern for children up to about five years old was the low digestibility of proteins in legumes and cereals. It was feared that vegan children might suffer from a deficiency of essential amino acids. However, in 2002, a gathering of experts under the WHO banner occurred, and in 2007, they published a paper correcting the mistaken assumption that plant proteins have lower digestibility than animal proteins. This argument is now inapplicable. On the contrary, overconsumption of animal proteins can cause calcium deficiency and other diseases. Protein intake, especially from animal sources, should be reduced. Today, the average protein intake is about 100 grams per person per day, roughly 50% from plant and 50% from animal sources. The actual requirement is about 50 grams. If we excluded all animal foods and ate only plant-based, we would still receive sufficient protein. Of course, questions about sufficient iron, sugars, and other minerals are important but exceed our time today. Now, I will ask my wife to share something practical about how to cook so that the food tastes good. You have heard that scientifically, vegetarianism is the best path. But in practice, everyday life, we see it is not so simple. We must contemplate how to make it appealing to those accustomed to conventional diets while maintaining quality. From our experience, people prefer simple spices they are accustomed to. In our country, these are primarily garlic, onion, cumin, pepper, and chili. There is also a common belief that heavily spicing food is not very healthy, so we must be careful. The main topic is how to replace meat and make it tasty. Thematically, it is about presenting classic dishes like schnitzel without the meat. Today, I have chosen two products. One is tofu—both white and smoked. The other is a cereal-based product made from wheat protein, gluten, often called seitan. For those new to this, smoked tofu is a good start as it reminds people of smoked meats and enhances the flavor of dishes. A simple way is to grate it and add it to risotto or use it where smoked meats are common, like in sautéed cabbage. Seitan is sold in portions. You can cut it into strips, slices, or very thin slices. You can spread it with mustard, like an ordinary person would with meat, or use grated garlic and onion. You can also stuff peppers or zucchini with it, secure them with a toothpick to make rolls, sauté them in oil with onions, and serve with a sauce. This provides the "piece of meat" that many diners expect on their plate. I would like to present one more thing. This protein concentration is not strictly necessary for a healthy diet; we would be fine with lentils, sprouts, fruits, and vegetables. But it is an option to prepare at home. You can use a powdered blend, mix it with water, and add grated garlic, onion, chili, or quality soy sauce. You prepare a dough-like mixture, let it rest, and then work it with your hands. You can then fry it in a pan, but as it is raw, it requires further cooking—simmering for about half an hour depending on size. You can add mushrooms, olives, or peppers to the mixture. It can be baked or cooked in vegetable broth or a water bath. This is useful for cooking at home or taking on vacation. Now, we will begin cooking. I would like to mention soy sauce. Quality soy sauce develops over half a year to a year of natural fermentation. Inferior sauce is produced through hydrolysis using hydrochloric acid and is on the level of products like glutasol. A good guarantee is to buy Japanese soy sauces, which are typically naturally fermented. A simple way to prepare tofu is to slice and fry it in oil. Meanwhile, prepare flavorings. For Italian cuisine, blend tomatoes with basil, oregano, and soy sauce or salt. Another classic is grated ginger mixed with soy sauce, or grated garlic and onion mixed with soy sauce. When the tofu or seitan gets a beautiful golden crust from roasting, place it into the sauce to absorb the flavor. Then, incorporate it into spaghetti or Czech cuisine. It is good to dry-roast spices, but here we do it in oil, a process called choṇs or opening the spices in oil. It requires a feel so the spices do not burn. A gentler way is to warm the spices in oil until they begin to foam, then immediately remove from heat to avoid burning. This yields better taste, better digestibility, and less risk of burnt spices. You will taste the seitan for lunch, sautéed and then marinated in spices this way. For a richer flavor with tofu, press the block for 10-15 minutes before processing to remove some water. This allows it to better absorb flavors. Always slice it thinly to increase the surface area for more flavor. Regarding soy protein: when using dry soy chunks, boil them in water for about five minutes, then squeeze out the water. This removes oligosaccharides, a type of sugar that can cause a bitter aftertaste and digestive tension. After this, the texture is ready to absorb optimal flavors. For the base of dishes like goulashes and soups where meat stocks or "vegeta" are typically used, a good replacement is opening spices in oil, like a mahā spice mix, briefly sautéed in hot oil. Then, prepare the dish in the traditional way. The seitan pieces develop a slight crust when roasted, which helps them absorb liquid well. When placed in a sauce, they absorb the flavor. It is even better to simmer them longer in the sauce for deeper penetration. You can use the prepared seitan whole as a meat portion, or cut it for Chinese food, goulash, or svíčková. It can also be coated like a classic schnitzel. Note: the store-bought version is already heat-prepared and can be eaten directly. If you prepare it from powder by baking, you must further simmer and cook it for at least half an hour, depending on thickness. If you have any questions in the remaining time, please ask. For lunch, I have arranged for everyone to receive a piece of the roasted seitan with spices. Thank you. Q&A Session Question: When we buy soy-based preparations (not dry soy), how long can we store them? One week, ten days, twenty days? Answer: There is always a specified shelf life on the packaging, corresponding to the packaging method. The indicated storage temperature is crucial; if not maintained, the shelf life shortens. You will realize it is wrong when the packaging begins to inflate. Once opened, observe basic hygiene: do not store vegetables together with these products. Washed vegetables contain microorganisms that can contaminate the product and cause it to spoil faster. Always store vegetables separately in your fridge. Question: When we buy dried soy preparation or soy flour in bulk (e.g., 5 kg), how should we prepare and store it? Answer: Storage is similar to flour. Products without water do not spoil from moisture but can be infested by moths. Defend yourself in three ways: First, check what you buy, as moths often come home with products. Second, use a well-ventilated pantry or, conversely, perfectly sealed jars with no air access to reduce moth spread. Remember, moths multiply in undisturbed, unaired places. Preparation always depends on your intention—what you want to cook. It is better to mix the powder with water yourself, as I showed. I can repeat: take the powder, mix it with water. This is the simplest method. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is better, especially if mixing in crushed garlic or onion. A Personal Remark: When we started searching for how to flavor vegetarian food about 25-28 years ago in the Czech Republic, only products like Masox, Maggi, or bouillon cubes were commonly used. A Swāmījī helped me greatly with his spice mixture: cumin, coriander, and mustard seed. However, when I applied this for the Czech population, the cumin was too aromatic. So, I replaced cumin with caraway. Since then, we always grind this spice mix from whole spices and offer it. Many people do not like pieces of cumin or coriander in savory Czech cuisine. Question: What can we use instead of soy for someone who is allergic to it? Answer: Thank you for the question. For those allergic to soy, alternatives include seitan (wheat gluten), legumes like lentils and chickpeas (properly prepared to aid digestibility), nuts, seeds, and other protein-rich grains. The principles of flavoring and preparation remain similar. Thank you all for today.