silver foil veg or non veg?

[Guest guest]

I found this interesting article:

 

http://www.expresshotelierandcaterer.com/20020805/inside201.shtml

 

Inside Kitchen

 

Misinterpretation: A Costly Affair

 

The beef flavourings in French fries served at McDonald’s outlets in the US

caused a major out cry. Though the issue was settled out of court for an

undisclosed amount, hoteliers and restaurateurs there have opened their

eyes. Rajesh Rodrigues, takes a closer look on the various ‘vegetarian’

food products served in Indian hotels and restaurants which could be

contaminated with animal products

 

India is the land of diverse religious beliefs, cultures and habits which

houses the most populous vegetarians in the world. There are an estimated

40 per cent of vegetarians in India (the number is growing), and almost 85

per cent non-beef consumers. Last year, a couple of McDonald’s restaurants

in Mumbai, faced the brunt of a section of a community for no fault of

theirs which resulted in losses to the tune of a few lakh rupees. This

misunderstanding amongst the general population had to clarified by placing

advertisements to prove that no animal products were served to their

vegetarian customers in their outlets in India which further added to the

losses incurred.

 

Indians today are well-informed and widely travelled. Most guests who visit

the restaurants are aware of what they are being served and the contents in

their plate. Here chefs cannot afford to take their modern guests for

granted. Brown sauce which is basically made of beef bones (some chefs add

ham for more flavour) would have major repercussions if served with a

vegetarian dish or a chicken dish as an accompaniment. Internationally due

to strict food laws, chefs do not chance to mixing and matching foods of

different categories. But the same is not the case in India.

 

Other than a few large hotels in Indian cities, most chefs have risen to

the position through hardwork and honing their skills. The kitchen head may

not be well-versed with the various contents in the packed bottle or tin.

This could lead to ignorance and s/he may end up serving food that could

contain animal products or food processed with the animal ingredients.

 

Various bottled and packed foods (usually imported) have animal additives

in it. According to The Vegetarian Society, a UK-based organisation,

‘Vegetarian dishes must not contain animal flesh (meat, fowl, fish or

shellfish) meat, fish or bone stock or stock cubes, animal carcass fats

(including suet, lard or dripping) gelatine, aspic, gelatine-based block or

jelly crystals battery or intensively produced eggs or with ingredients

derived from slaughterhouse.’

 

Indian sweets, known extensively all over the world, are often coated with

a silver foil (varkh). Though eye appealing, the process of producing the

thin, fine, silver foil needs the intestinal wall of freshly killed oxen

(on which the silver is kept and hammered to its fine thinness). This is

then coated on the sweet served to the ignorant guest.

 

Imported cheeses is traditionally made with rennet, an enzyme extracted

from the stomach of slaughtered calves. Though a law in India states that

cheese has to be made with vegetarian rennet, imported cheeses especially

those from Italy, France, New Zealand and Australia could contain

non-vegetarian ingredient (unless mentioned on the packet). Restaurants

could be serving a vegetarian pizza unknowingly with a beef ingredients.

 

The liabilities attached with mis-interpretation of food products could

lead to massive losses to the hoteliers and restaurateurs. Customers could

pull the restaurant to the court if his vegetable burger is coated with an

egg-wash. A burger which would be priced at Rs 60 could cost the hotel over

a lakh rupees in the form of compensation to the guest.

 

Food flavourings cubes have large percentage animal product in it.

Worcestershire sauce served on the table are flavoured with anchovies.

Proper care should be taken while planning the recipe has to be careful as

the sauce could be used to cook a vegetarian dish. Similarly a large amount

of food served in a restaurant could contain animal products (see box).

 

Taking care does not end there. Work surfaces and chopping boards, utensils

and all other kitchen equipment and facilities must either be kept separate

from those used for non-vegetarian food preparation, or cleaned thoroughly

before vegetarian food preparation. Very few hotels in India have

completely different kitchens for vegetarian food. But the fryers, grills

and griddles used for preparing non-vegetarian products should be

thoroughly cleaned. Fryers must be filled with fresh, uncontaminated oil

before vegetarian food is cooked. Reputed hotels should use separate set of

utensils for the preparation and serving of vegetarian meals.

 

The various food products that contain hidden animal ingredients

 

Alcohol

 

Many manufacturers of beers, wines and spirits use unsuitable clarifying

agents such as gelatine, egg white (usually from battery hens), isinglass

(from the swim bladder of the sturgeon) or chitin.

 

Bread

 

Bread from commercial bakers may include flour improvers which can be

animal derived, or they may use lard to grease the tins which would not be

acceptable to vegetarians.

 

Cheese

 

Traditionally rennet, an enzyme extracted from the stomach of slaughtered

calves, is used and is therefore unacceptable.

 

Fats and oils

 

Animal fats and fish oils, except butter, are unsuitable (both in recipes

and for greasing tins).

 

Fruit juices

 

May have been clarified with gelatine.

 

Gravies and stock

 

Cubes or powders could contain meat, poultry or fish extract.

 

Honey

 

Royal jelly (honey) is not vegetarian.

 

Margarine

 

May contain ‘whey’ which is only vegetarian if it is derived from a

vegetarian cheese making process, E471 which may be derived from animal

fat, vitamins A and E which may be stabilised with gelatine, or vitamin D

which may come from the lanolin of slaughtered sheep.

 

Worcestershire sauce

 

This product usually contains anchovies.

 

Silver foil

 

The process of producing the thin, fine, silver foil, called varkh, found

on mithai, etc, needs the intestinal wall of freshly killed oxen (on which

the silver is kept and hammered to its fine thinness).

[Guest guest]

I found many similar articles. All are from Indian websites.

Like this one

http://www.indianngos.com/issue/animalwelfare/index.htm

 

this one on Jain food

I foud this site very informative:

http://www.jainworld.com/society/jainfood/jfindex.htm

 

this one is a good one for preaching to non veggie

http://www.lifepositive.com/body/holistic-recipes/recipes/vegetarianism.asp

 

Y.s.

Hrimati dasi