INSTITUTE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT AURANGABAD, INDIA

Gastronomy

and Vegetarianism

Sankar Ramasubramaniyan (C1240)

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the B.A. (Hons.) in Culinary Arts

THE UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM

Module Name: Gastronomy

Module Leader:Chef Gerard DSouza

January 2011

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DECLARATION
I herein declare that this exhibition/assignment is completely a result of my own individual efforts and that it confirms to the university, departmental and course regulations regarding cheating and plagiarism. No material contained within this project has been used in any other submission by any other author for an academic record.

January 8, 2011

Sankar Ramasubramaniyan (C-1240)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I, Sankar Ramasubramaniyan, would like to thank each and every person who helped me in providing valuable information on this assignment, without which this assignment would not have been possible. I would specially like to thank my Mentor and Module Tutor Chef Gerard DSouza of the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad for providing me with the opportunity to undertake this assignment and the guidance to complete it by showing me the right directions.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHAT IS VEGETARIANISM...???................................................................................................... 5 VEGETARIANISM, A BRIEF HISTORY ........................................................................................ 6 VEGETARIANISM AND RELIGION ............................................................................................... 8 HINDUISM ...................................................................................................................... 9 JAINISM .......................................................................................................................... 9 BUDDHISM ................................................................................................................... 10 TAOISM ........................................................................................................................ 10 JUDAISM ....................................................................................................................... 11 CHRISTIANITY ............................................................................................................. 12 DISADVANTAGES OF BEING A VEGETARIAN........................................................................ 12 VEGETARIANISM IN TODAYS WORLD ...13 VEGETARIAN GASTRONOMY ..................................................................................................... 14 VEGETARIAN GASTRONOMY IN INDIA .................................................................................. 14 WHO SAYS VEGETARIAN FOOD CANT BE TASTY?? ............................................ 14 CRITIQUE .......................................................................................................................................... 14 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 15 BIBLIOGRAPHY15

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Gastronomy and Vegetarianism

WHAT IS VEGETARIANISM....??? Vegetarianism is a conscious way of eating, and involves the practice of following a diet which includes fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy products or eggs. A vegetarian does not eat meat, including game, poultry, fish, crustaceans and shellfish, and may also abstain from by-products of animal slaughter such as animalderived rennet and gelatine. Various foods or treats, such as cake, chocolate, chips, gum, marshmallows and gummy candies, often contain unfamiliar animal ingredients, and may especially be a concern for vegetarians due to the likelihood of such additions. While some vegetarians are unaware of animal-derived rennet's role in the usual production of cheese and may therefore unknowingly consume the ingredient, others of the diet are not bothered by its consumption. Often, however, animal-derived products, such as certain cheeses, gelatine or other animal-derived ingredients, are scrutinized by vegetarians prior to purchase or consumption. Vegetarianism can be adopted for different reasons: In addition to ethical reasons, some reasons for vegetarianism include health, religious, political, cultural, aesthetic or economic, and there are varieties of the diet: An ovo-vegetarian diet includes eggs but not dairy products, a lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy products but not eggs, and an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet includes both eggs and dairy products. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, such as eggs, dairy products, and honey. Semi-vegetarian diets consist largely of vegetarian foods, but may include fish or poultry, or other meats on an infrequent basis. Those with diets containing fish or poultry may define "meat" only as mammalian flesh and may identify with vegetarianism. A pescetarian diet, for example, includes "fish but no meat". The common use association between such diets and vegetarianism has led vegetarian groups such as the Vegetarian Society to state diets containing these ingredients are not vegetarian, due to fish and birds being animals.

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VEGETARIANISM, A BRIEF HISTORY:It may surprise many people to hear that our early ancestors lived on a semi-vegetarian diet for several million years. Some anthropologists have fostered the stereotype of "man the hunter," but studies of contemporary "hunter-gatherers" suggest that early humans lived primarily on a diet of plant foods, with supplementation from animal flesh. Studies of tribal Australian aborigines and the Kung-San of South Africa-groups that live under conditions similar to those of our ancestors show that only about one fourth of their caloric intake derives from animal products. Nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables are the staple foods of these groups. A view of early humans as gatherers rather than hunters is a more accurate portrayal. Like most good ideas in the West, vegetarianism was developed by the ancient Greeks. Pythagoras and Porphyry were the best-known practicing vegetarians, but the list of those who advocated a vegetarian diet includes Diogenes, Plato, Epicurus, and Plutarch. The Greeks favoured vegetarianism for a variety of reasons. Pythagoras and his followers believed that animals as well as humans have souls, and that after death, an animal may be reincarnated as a human and vice versa. According to this view, animals should not be killed and eaten because all souls have equal worth. Plato, in The Republic, described a vegetarian diet as being best suited for his ideal society. Plant foods were preferred, according to Plato, because they promote health and because they require less land to produce than do animal foods. Other Greek thinkers felt that eating animal flesh was naturally repugnant and should be rejected on aesthetic grounds. The Romans borrowed many ideas from the Greeks, including vegetarianism, and in spite of their penchant for feeding undesirables to the lions, vegetarian ideas survived throughout Roman times. The poet Ovid and the philosopher Seneca are examples of Romans who expounded the cause of vegetarianism. The fall of Rome and the spread of Christianity across Europe led to a "dark ages" in vegetarian thought. During this time, Christian thinkers such as Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas provided intellectual rationalizations for the killing, eating, and general exploitation of animals by humans. They argued that only people have free will, rationality, and souls, and that animals were placed on earth for the convenience and use of humansviews that are still accepted by the majority of Christians today.

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However, the tradition of vegetarianism was kept alive in dark and dingy Christian abbeys where monks abstained from meat to suppress their animal passions. (The belief that meat consumption is associated with base urges that hinder one's spiritual progress lingers on in the minds of some contemporary vegetarians, as we will see later.) The Benedictines, Trappists, and Cistercians are all examples of monastic orders that practiced vegetarianism for a period of time. During the 15th century, Europe discovered classical philosophy, art, and science. But it took the Europeans a little longer to rediscover vegetarianism. The vegetarian "Renaissance" can be said to have occurred during the late 18th and 19th centuries. During this period, Darwin's theory of evolution destroyed the notion that animals are fundamentally different from humans, and in so doing, challenged the religious and philosophical justification for eating them. The new view was that of a continuum of life, with humans and other animals separated in degree, but not in kind. The implications of the theory of evolution so upset Darwin that he stopped believing in God. He did not, however, give up eating meat. The new view of animals as distantly related kin was incorporated into the general humanitarian reform movements that occurred at this time. Indeed, many prominent vegetarians and animal welfare promoters were simultaneously involved in other struggles, such as the child welfare and antislavery movements. It was during this period that the first written works on vegetarianism by Europeans appeared. Leo Tolstoy and Percy Bysshe Shelley are examples of 19th-century writers who advocated a meatless lifestyle. For a while, people who abstained from eating flesh were said to be following the "Pythagorean diet." Later, the term "vegetarian" was coined from the Latin word "vegetus," meaning active or vigorous. (The term has mis-led many into thinking that vegetarians survive only on vegetables-an inaccurate view of vegetarian cuisine.) Many Christian groups were at the forefront of the burgeoning vegetarian movement. The Bible Christian Church, founded by William Cowherd in 1809 in Manchester, England, played a major role in advocating and furthering the cause of vegetarianism. Members believed that Christ's teachings of mercy should be extended to animals as well as to people. They also believed that a vegetarian diet was healthier than one based on meat and that
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Christians have a duty to maintain good health in order to do God's work. Members of this group later formed the Vegetarian Society in 1847-the first secular vegetarian organization in the West. They disseminated information in the form of essays and lectures and taught that the adoption of vegetarianism would lead to universal brotherhood, an increase in happiness, and a more civilized society. This group still exists and is presently known as the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom. The movement was carried on into the 20th century by vegetarian societies working at the grass-roots level, religious groups such as the Seventh-Day Adventists, and prominent figures such as George Bernard Shaw and Mohandas Gandhi. Vegetarian organizations formed in most Western countries, and newsletters, books, and other publications promoting the diet became common. In 1908 the International Vegetarian Union was formed, with its main function being to organize conferences at which vegetarians from around the world meet and share information. The union continues to be active today. This orderly but gradual progression might have continued indefinitely had it not been for the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. At this point in time, a variety of influences converged that had major implications for the course of vegetarianism: a new awareness of the importance of diet in maintaining health, an interest in Eastern philosophy and religion, a concern over the degradation of the environment through human "progress," a politically active stance in support of the rights of oppressed groups, the emergence of the peace movement, and a utopian belief in a perfectible society. All of these social trends provided pathways for new converts to the vegetarian cause. Out of this melange, the modern era of vegetarianism emerged. VEGETARIANISM AND RELIGION:Vegetarianism and religion are strongly linked in a number of religions that originated in ancient India (Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism). In Jainism vegetarianism is mandatory for everyone, in Hinduism and Buddhism it is advocated by some influential scriptures and religion authorities. Comparatively, within the Abraham religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) vegetarian diet is not promoted by mainstream authorities. In Christianity, however, there are minority groups promoting vegetarianism on religious grounds.

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Vegetarianism has been a common thread among the major world religions, even if only a minority have adopted the diet as an expression of their faith. Christians have always striven to minister to poor and hungry people. However, today the inefficiency of meat eating works against that ministry. In the United States 66% of the grains are fed to animals being raised for slaughter, wasting most grains calories and proteins. Hinduism Hinduisms encourages a vegetarian diet, though not all Hindus are vegetarian. Hindus almost universally avoid beef since they consider the cow sacred. Hinduisms vast scriptures contain thousands of passages recommending vegetarianism based on the profound link between ahimsa (nonviolence) and spirituality. For example, the Yajur Veda says, You must not use your God-given body for killing Gods creatures, whether they are human, animals, or whatever. Mahatma Gandhi, however, took Hindu vegetarian observance one step further by declaring, The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way in which its animals are treated. While the violence of slaughter wrongs animals, it also harms those who consume animals. Causing unnecessary pain and death produces bad karma (ill-effects on oneself as a consequence of ill-treatment of others). Belief in the sacredness of life, reincarnation, nonviolence, and the law of karma are central, inter-related features of the Hinduisms spiritual ecology. While Hinduisms basis for vegetarianism is deeply spiritual, its practical merit has also been confirmed by science. For example, the prohibition against harming or killing cows frequently benefits nutrition in India. Cattle contribute milk and dairy foods, labour, transportation, and dung fuel. Jainism Vegetarianism is expected practice among Jains. Jain traditions

respect ahimsa (nonviolence), aparigraha (non-acquision), asteya (respect for others rights) and satya (truth). While Jains comprise less than 1% of Indias population, they contribute more than half of all the money donated in India to provide medical and other social assistance to Indias poor people.

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Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was a Hindu who accepted many of Hinduisms core doctrines, such as karma. His life and teachings offered special insights into how to address problems of human existence, and he explicitly taught vegetarianism as a component of his general instruction to be mindful and compassionate. The Buddha in certain Mahayana sutras strongly denounces the eating of meat. In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha states that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion", adding that all and every kind of meat and fish consumption (even of animals already found dead) is prohibited by him. The Buddha also predicts in this sutra that later monks will "hold spurious writings to be the authentic Dharma" and will concoct in the Lankavatara Sutra their own sutras and mendaciously claim that the Buddha allows the eating of meat, whereas in fact (he says) he does not. A long passage shows the Buddha weighing strongly in favor of vegetarianism, since the eating of the flesh of fellow sentient beings is said by him to be incompatible with the compassion a Bodhisattva should strive to cultivate. Several other Mahayana sutras also emphatically prohibit the consumption of meat. Taoism The Chinese religion of Taoism holds nature as sacred, and this view also favours vegetarianism. Taoism teaches that yin and yang are the two fundamental energies in the world, and Taoists have always taken the accomplishments of yin [the non-violent, nonaggressive approach] and rescue of creatures as their priority. (Journal of the Academy of Religion, 54: no. 1, 1987) For example, the famous Taoist Master Li Han-Kung explicitly prohibited those who consume meat from his holy mountain. Taoism is distinctive in stressing simplicity. As early as the 6th century BCE, the Taoist scripture called Tao Te Ching warned against waste (80 TTC). The Tao Te Ching teaches that simplicity allows the individual to live a peaceful life and it protects nature from overuse and pollution. Modern studies of ecology and factory farming have demonstrated that meat production today is extremely complicated and inefficient. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that meat consumption is far less efficient in producing protein than consumption of beans and grains. Because it requires far more grain, modern meat production requires more pesticides, more water, and more fossil fuel to run tractors to farm
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the extra fields of grain. Burning more fossil fuel wastes natural resources and pollutes the planet. Taoist simplicity encourages eating vegetables, grains, and fruits instead of meat. According to the Tao, the process of meat production tends to be too yang too aggressive; it involves extreme and unnecessary impact on the environment. Judaism The Torah (Hebrew Scriptures) describes vegetarianism as an ideal. In the Garden of Eden, Adam, Eve, and all creatures were instructed to eat plant foods. (Genesis 1:29-30) The prophet Isaiah had a utopian vision in which everyone will once again be vegetarian: The wolf shall dwell with the lamb the lion shall eat straw like the ox They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. Judaism forbids tsaar baalei chayim, inflicting unnecessary pain on animals. For example, Exodus 23:5 requires that one relieve the burden of an overloaded animal, and the Fourth Commandment includes the instruction that Jews must allow livestock to rest on the Sabbath. The parameters of such laws are discussed in the Talmud and codified in the Shulchan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). The revered medieval legal

authority/philosopher Moses Maimonides wrote that we should show mercy to all living creatures. The 16th Century mystic Rabbi Moses Cordovero and 19th Century thinker Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch expressed similar sentiments. By contrast, factory farms routinely confine animals in cramped spaces; often drug and mutilate animals; and deny them fresh air, sunlight, exercise, and any opportunity to satisfy their natural instincts. In response to this, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland Rabbi David Rosen has written, The current treatment of animals in the livestock trade definitely renders the consumption of meat as unacceptable [not kosher]. Other rabbis, while agreeing that animals should be raised and slaughtered in humane ways, do not agree that such meat is forbidden. Other Jewish values favour vegetarianism. Judaism advocates treating the environment respectfully, while animal agriculture squanders water, energy, land, and other resources. Judaism holds that human life is sacred, and we should diligently care for our health. Since animal-based foods can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, we should move towards a plant-based diet. Judaism encourages us to share our bread with hungry people. Yet, the inefficiencies of animal agriculture waste grains and lands that could

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be used for staple crops, thereby depriving hungry people of food. In summary, although Judaism does not mandate vegetarianism, many Jewish teachings support the diet. Christianity Christianity, based on Judaism, prohibits cruelty to animals. Jesus central teachings involved love, compassion, and mercy, and it is hard to imagine Jesus looking upon contemporary factory farms and slaughterhouses and then happily consuming flesh. Christians have always striven to minister to poor and hungry people. However, today the inefficiency of meat eating works against that ministry. In the United States 66% of the grains are fed to animals being raised for slaughter, wasting most grains calories and proteins. Ron Sider of Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary has observed, It is because of the high level of meat consumption that the rich minority of the world devours such an unfair share of the worlds available food. Knowing the deleterious effects of animal-based foods on human health, Christian principles favour a plant-based diet.

DISASDVANTAGES OF BEING A VEGETARIAN:1) Decreased protein - Meat provides us with adequate store of protein which our body needs to use for activities related to the repair, growth and maintenance of cells in our body. Protein gives us energy and helps our body fight against infections. There are other foods that give us protein such as eggs, milk, spinach, soybean, fish, whole grains, rice, beans, corn, oats, nuts, peas and peanut butter. 2) Lack of food choices Some restaurants and grocery stores abroad and to a lesser extent even in India still do not offer a wide selection of vegetarian entrees to choose from. Also, when someone who is a vegetarian goes out to eat over at a friends house, more often than not there are not always vegetarian options available. 3) Decreased Creatinine Creatinine, which comes from meat, helps our body build muscle mass, an essential function for every movement we make. 4) Decreased vitamins and minerals Strict vegetarians who do not partake in the consumption of any animal products of any kind, have to be more conscious of getting

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Vitamins B12 vitamin, Iron and Calcium. Fortunately, these deficits can be made up for and supplements can be taken. Whether one is a vegetarian for religious, health or moral reasons or if one is considering becoming a vegetarian, one should look at the list of disadvantages of becoming a vegetarian and think of ways to combat or anticipate each one. Also, people with a need for a larger body mass such as weight lifters may need to rethink their desire for a vegetarian diet as supplements may not give them adequate protein stores needed. 5) Disturbing the Natures Cycle - The increasing number of vegetarians will result in major disturbance of the food pyramid with animals and humans having to co-exist peacefully (hopefully) under one roof.

VEGETARIANISM IN TODAYS MODERN WORLD:In a recent poll conducted for American Health magazine found that nearly nine million Americans call themselves vegetarians. In addition, another 40 million adults are eating less meat and more plant foods than in the past. Similarly, a recent consumer study carried out by the National Restaurant Association found that customers are ordering fewer meat dishes and more salads, fresh fruits, and fruit juices than they used to. The number of vegetarian restaurants is also increasing. The growing mainstream status of vegetarianism is reflected in recent articles in popular magazines. For example, Newsweek, referred to Americas healthier eating habits as "vegetarian chic," and Time, praised the new vegetarian preferences of health-conscious young adults. Indeed, many individuals have stopped eating meat for health reasons, although some have also been influenced by the animal liberation movement, religious beliefs, concerns about world hunger, or an awareness of the environmental damage caused by livestock production. But whatever their motives, one thing is clear: Vegetarianism can no longer be viewed as a fringe phenomenon. The poll also revealed that nearly three fourths of Americans reject the notion that vegetarianism is merely a passing fad. A look at the historical record reveals that these people are correct. In fact, vegetarianism has a long, although not always illustrious, history in the West.

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VEGETARIAN GASTRONOMY:Keeping in mind the rising number of vegetarians and their peculiar demands for food, a large number of chefs are now spending a considerable amount of time coming up with new vegetarian dishes to cater to these finicky consumers. It is always a challenge for the chef to create something unusual using limited ingredients and coming up with entrees using vegetables. It is not uncommon nowadays to come across vegetarian fine-dine restaurants in the West or reading about chefs specializing in vegetarian cooking in food and wine magazines. Although, there are vegetarian restaurants by the tons in India, the concept of vegetarianism is relatively new to the west who are predominantly meat-eating nations. Chefs such as Eddie Shepherd and Gavin Kaysen are among the new breed of young chefs who are embracing the world of vegetarian cooking. VEGETARIAN GATRONOMY IN INDIA:Who says vegetarian food cant be tasty..???A lot of people tend to be of the opinion that vegetarian food fails to be tasty when compared to their livestock counterparts. Any person who thinks on these lines should be sent packing on a trip to India. One can safely call India as the hub of vegetarian gastronomy. In a land so vast and diverse in terms of language, religion, culture and food you are not expected to find a lot of similarities in the numerous cuisines. Predominantly vegetarian, Indian cuisine has the power to tingle taste buds in a very unique and inexplicable way without the use of meat and meat products that has to experienced to be believed. Western States such as Gujarat and Rajasthan and Southern States like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are dominated by vegetarians and posses a cuisine that is so delectable and appreciated worldwide. CRITIQUE:Vegetarians may be many things, but they are not lonely. Whether they are vegetarians due to religious boundaries or by choice is a different issue altogether. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and if a person chooses to abstain from eating meat because of certain reasons it is completely his loss or gain (Vegetarians vs. Meat-eaters is a never ending debate). Vegetarians tend to think that Meat-eaters are carnivores who kill their way to feed themselves whereas meat eaters pity vegetarians for missing out on the what according is the
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best tasting ingredient...MEAT!! While the vegetarian lobby today is perhaps not as overtly ridiculed as it once was, vegetarians are still tainted with the image of the morally earnest and the downright cranky. But the issues that vegetarianism includes are profound and allembracing, and this invites the scorn of the nervous and insecure. CONCLUSION:The nature of our diet in the last decade of the twentieth century became headline news. For many months at a time mad cow disease, and later in the decade Frankenstein foods, were issues of enormous dramatic power which involved the consumer in a debate on the nature of the food upon our plates. Parents began to enquire anxiously what it they were feeding their kids, and in an age when these same children were struck down suddenly with allergies or made terminally ill by a farm visit, parents were made vividly aware that the diet they were on could no longer be trusted. Consumers began to ask questions demanding information and when they received answers they often found them inadequate and failed to be reassured. In this uncertain climate there was an upsurge of interest in vegetarianism, or what it is increasingly called in nutritional and scientific circles the plant diet, allied with a knowledge that even this diet was only safe if it was wholly organic. BIBLIOGRAPHY:Amato, P. (n.d.). Origins of Modern Vegetarianism. Retrieved January 6, 2011, from Eat Veg: http://www.newveg.av.org/veghistory.htm Disadvantages of Being a Vegetarian. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2011, from Methods of Healing: http://www.methodsofhealing.com/disadvantages-of-being-a-vegetarian/ Eddie Shepherd. (n.d.). Retrieved January 3, 2011, from Veggiechef: http://www.veggiechef.co.uk/info/index.html Snowfield, G. (n.d.). Behind Gavin Kaysen. Retrieved January 6, 2011, from Eat Drink Beteer: http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/12/03/behind-gavin-kaysen-award-winning-chef-andvegetarian-virtuoso/ Spencer, C. (2000). Vegetarianism. London: Grub Street. Vegetarianism and Religion. (n.d.). Retrieved January 2, 2011, from Drexel Pages: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~soa29/Religious%20Issues.htm

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