Vegetarianism

A dietary practice that carries extremely
high status among Hindu people, probably because of its associations with
strict brahmin practice; even people
who are nonvegetarian themselves will
commonly think of a vegetarian diet as
“purer.” Strict vegetarians eat no flesh or
eggs, but milk and milk products are
always eaten and are considered pure
and health-giving, probably because
they come from the cow. Those people
who keep the strictest diets will also
often refrain from onions and garlic,
which are considered to excite the passions. This religious commitment to
vegetarianism by a certain part of the
population, and the general status given
to “pure” vegetarian food, are both
responsible for the great variety of vegetarian cooking found in Indian culture.
Despite the higher status given to a vegetarian diet, most modern Hindus are
not vegetarian—a recent poll of urban
Hindus found that only about 25 percent were pure vegetarian, although the
number may be higher in villages, which
tend to be more traditional.