New Delhi, Feb. 11 -- For brunch, I bite into a smørrebrød that looks like a fresh garden blooming on soil-a dense rye bread slathered with a velvety hummus of indrid peas, baked pumpkin and vegetable stock, and ribboned with petals of pickled pumpkin. If we were in Copenhagen two decades ago, the traditional Danish open-faced sandwich would be incomplete without pickled herring, liver pate, or roast beef. But over time, the city has metamorphosed into a vegetarian's delight-thanks to climate consciousness.

A big portion of my meals in the city over four days shine with unassuming vegetables in the most exciting preparations-a complete antithesis to what my vegetarian meals in several parts of Europe have looked like, where bre...