Vegetarian Food

Vegetarianism has been common in the Indian subcontinent since possibly the 2 nd millennium BC for spiritual reasons, such as ahimsa ( nonviolence ) , to avoid indulgences (as meat was considered an indulgence ) , and to reduce bad karmic influences . Hinduism preaches that it is the ideal diet for spiritual progress and Jainism enjoins all its followers to be vegetarian . The first precept in the Buddhist monastic and lay ordinations, common to all Buddhist traditions, is not to take life . This is usually understood to include animal life . Although some Buddhists do nevertheless eat meat, vegetarianism is highly regarded . A minority of Muslims also practice ( halal ) vegetarianism . A small number of Jewish and Christian sects have historically practiced vegetarianism including the Nazirites Essenes and Ebionites .

Many Hindu scriptures advocate a vegetarian diet . The secular literature of Tirukural in Tamil Nadu, India written over 2000 years ago has several couplets that proclaim the virtues and goodness of a vegetarian diet .

In India , more people are vegetarians than anywhere else in this planet. Majority of them are vegetarian due to traditional or religious beliefs. People do take non-vegetarian dishes also. However, even a typical non-vegetarian Indian meal has lot of vegetarian dishes compared to other cuisines. India is a very diverse country with variety of distinct regional cuisine.

Some famous Vegetarian Dishes

Aloo Gobi Masala	Baigan Bharta	Dal Makhni
Dum Aloo	Mutter Paneer	Navratna Korma

Aloo Gobi Masala - Cauliflower and potato cooked in spicy sauce

Baigan Bharta - A vegetarian delight, eggplant mashed and cooked with tomatoes, peas and spices

Dal Makhni- Lentil delicacy tossed with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cream and spices

Dum Aloo- Whole potatoes cooked in a mildly spiced yogurt gravy

Mutter Paneer - Cottage cheese cooked with tomatoes, onions, green peas and spices.

Navratna Korma - Chopped vegetables of nine types prepared in rich white gravy, dry fruits and cheese

Vegetable Biryani - Rice delicacy with a medley of vegetables and spices

Vegetable Jalfrezi - Cauliflower, carrots, beans, green pepper saut?ed in ginger, garlic, dry fruits and spices