admin For food enthusiasts, the combination of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes creates a complete culinary experience they seek in any new city they visit. While some focus more on vegetarian cuisine, others have a preference for non-vegetarian food.
However, there is a city where only vegetarian food is available.
Gujarat Bhavnagar’s Palitana town is now the world’s first city to entirely ban non-vegetarian food, which includes sale and consumption of meat and eggs. It has been reported that this all commenced after a huge protest by Jain monks including a hunger strike in 2014, where almost 200 monks demanded that around 250 butcher shops be closed.
Due to this, it was decided to ban non-vegetarian food in order to respect the sentiments of the Jain community and have strict penalties if the rule is broken.
Also known as the City of Temples, Palitana boasts 800 intricately carved Jain temples built over 900 years. The cuisine here is inspired by Jain dietary principles, which are strictly vegetarian and exclude root vegetables. This approach aligns with the Jain philosophy of non-violence, avoiding the consumption of vegetables grown underground to prevent harming microorganisms.
Additionally, since some Jains avoid milk and milk-based products, finding dairy foods can be a challenge. However, there are many pure vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the city that serve non-Jain vegetarian dishes as well.
Popular dishes include Gujarati favourites like Dhokla, Khandvi, Gathiya, and Kadhi. One can also savour the simple and subtle Rotlo, a millet flatbread topped with jaggery and ghee, often paired with Sev Tameta nu Shaak, a tomato-based gravy with sev.
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