A large number of our urban population is increasingly turning to
vegetarian diet, for religious reasons or for health benefits. The
dining landscape of popular restaurants is constantly changing to
accommodate new recipes and include a vegetarian platter on their
menu. If one vegetarian restaurant closes, another opens. There is no
dearth of Vegetarian Restaurants in Hyderabad.
Many
people think vegetarianism is a recent phenomenon. But little do they
know that avoiding meat has a long history. Almost three thousand two
hundred years ago before Christ, certain religious groups in Egypt,
who believed in karma and reincarnations not only avoided meat but
also would’t wear clothing made from animal skin. Also, several of
Asian religions including Buddhism, Jainism and few sects of Hinduism
have been partially or fully vegetarian since time immemorial.
The
word ‘vegetarian’ was coined somewhere around 1839 approximately
to refer to a person who doses’t eat meat. It was later popularized
by the Vegetarian Society in Manchester, England in 1847. Similar
societies appeared soon in Amsterdam, Germany and London giving way
to the concept of Vegetarian restaurants. Some of the world’s most
famous writers, politicians were Vegetarians including Leonardo Da
Vinci, Mahatma Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin, Indian King Asoka.
Some
of the vegetarian restaurants promote vegetarianism in their own
unique way. For example, a vegetarian restaurant in Switzerland came
up with a campaign that shared pictures of various animals being
friendly with their prey. This way, not only do they promote their
business but also encourage people to take up a vegetarian diet that
is eco-friendly and beneficial to health.
