Beef, Lamb & Pork Curries

Many people think that all Indians are vegetarians, but in fact a large number of India’s 1.2 billion population do consume lamb, mutton, beef, and pork. Religious tenets are what usually dictate eating habits, especially when it comes to meats. For example, a majority of Hindus refrain from eating meat (or anything that has eyes, for that matter). But within Hinduism (the most widespread religion in India) some groups abstain from beef but will eat lamb, mutton, and pork. (It’s interesting to note that when Rama, one of the most widely worshiped Hindu gods, and his wife, Sita, were banished to the forest for fourteen years, Sita enjoyed eating deer meat stewed with vegetables and spices. Her father-in-law periodically sacrificed and consumed mutton and pork simmered in fruit juices, or fried in clove-scented butter and then stewed with lentils.)