Is there any problem if I am a non-veggie traveling to India? If you stay for a short time, it’s not the end of the world. It’s no big deal if it’s only a trip to India or a short-term stay. You can manage to find the non-veggie spots if you miss the portions of beef. Your spots, in this case, are the Punjabi, Afghan, and Tibetan restaurants as well as cafes. In most tourist areas, it’s more common for restaurants to serve non-veggie food.
However, adapting to a non-vegetarian diet can be tricky if you stay in India for a long time. Grown-up in Southern Brazil and used to eat meat daily, for me being vegetarian is out of the question. Can you find meat in India? Yes, you can. But hygiene is not reliable at all. Animals are usually fed at very dirty places and slaughtered at places that are not cleaner… I changed my idea of buying meat in India when I visited such places.
Can beef be eaten in India? Legally, not. The consumption of meat is banned in 22 (out of 28) Indian states. The only states where beef is not banned are Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim.
But you can consume it since you keep discrete. Because it’s a taboo in the Hindu religion, followed by 80% of the Indian population, eating meat is a very sensitive topic for the local population. Ironically, India is among the top beef exporters (exported 1.850.000 metric tons in 2016) followed by Brazil and Australia. Logics don’t work in India, if you’ve been there, you know what it means.
Can I find meat in those 22 states where the consumption of beef is banned? Yes, you can. Normally, Indian Muslims eat meat, chicken, and lamb usually. There are also KFC and other fast-food chains if you like them. Christians in Southern India also eat beef. But depending on where in India you are, it may be difficult to find any non-veggie food, especially beef. At supermarkets, non-veggie products may be hidden behind closed doors. Local families, guesthouses, landlords, offices, retreats, etc. may forbid non-veggie food at their dependencies.
Dishes for non-vegetarians in India
Chicken tikka: a dish prepared with chicken, red chili, yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic paste.
Butter chicken: a chicken mildly spiced with curry sauce.
Chicken biryani: usually prepared with basmati rice, onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, and curry. It can also be prepared with fish, vegetables, or lamb.
Chicken curry: chicken with olive oil, curry, spices, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk.
Punjabi kebab and Afghan Kebab.
Hygiene in India
Hygiene regarding food, as well as water, is critical to avoid getting sick in India, where the hygiene standards are far below what we see in the Western world. While walking around the city or returning home from work, sometimes I used to see the same street vendor who prepares the food peeing some meters away and coming back to cook without washing the dishes, just a daily example to be careful. I didn’t have any food poisoning while living in India and here are some tips on how to avoid it:
- Avoid meat during and right after holidays, as the meat tends to be expired. That means a higher chance of food poisoning.
- Look for places with a high number of clients, because stocks flow fastly and chances are minimum for non-fresh ingredients. And look at the places where local women go, they’re much more demanding with hygiene.
- Fish, eat only if you’re sure it is fresh. Otherwise, it may have traveled kilometers through filth and power cuts.
- Avoid salads, juice, ice cubes, and non-cooked food.
How to deal with spices?
I’m weak with spices and could survive in India for a long time. So, you can! I used to keep water beside my meals in case of fire out of control. Butter and oil are valuable tricks to reduce the effect of spices. Lassi also cuts off the chili effects. Don’t go straight to spicy food if you’re not used to spices, it would be like drinking a bottle of vodka without having drunk alcohol in life before.
Originally posted 2018-02-05 00:41:23.
