India has the world's largest number of
vegetarians
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism ma ...
. Vegetarianism has been present in India since antiquity although a non-vegetarian diet may be present even on the highest priest caste. Many Indians who do not regularly follow a vegetarian diet may adopt one during religious festivals.
Also, many Indian vegetarians eschew eggs as well as meat. There are many vegetarian cuisines across India.
[''Food culture in India'' by Colleen Taylor Sen Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004]
Air catering
On demand most airlines offer Indian vegetarian dishes. Some regard these as dietary meals, some as religious meals. Details may vary.
Pre-ordering the
IATA meal code ''AVML'' (Asian vegetarian meal) usually results in a meal without meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and eggs. Ingredients can be vegetables, legumes, fresh and dried fruit, dairy products, tofu, cereal, grains, vegetarian gelatine, spices and aromas associated with the Indian sub-continent. The meal can be spiced mildly to hot.
Another option is to pre-order the code ''VJML'' (Vegetarian
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
Meal). Compared to AVML only vegetables that grow ''above'' the ground are accepted, so onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, mushrooms, ginger and turmeric are excluded. No dairy products are used.
See also
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Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, he ...
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List of Indian sweets and desserts
This is a list of Indian sweets and desserts, also called ''mithai'', a significant element in Indian cuisine. Indians are known for their unique taste and experimental behavior when it comes to food. Many Indian desserts are fried foods made wi ...
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Vegetarian cuisine
Vegetarian cuisine is based on food that meets vegetarian standards by not including meat and animal tissue products (such as gelatin or animal-derived rennet). Lacto-ovo vegetarianism (the most common type of vegetarianism in the Western wo ...
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Marwari Bhojanalaya
References
{{Veganism-and-Vegetarianism-stub
Vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetariani ...
Vegetarian dishes of India