Can I eat a beef burger in India?

Question

I always heard that cows are holy in India. So I assumed that you can't eat any meat made of cows in India. But recently a friend told me, that it depends on the region. Not everywhere in India cows are holy. Is this true? This friend also told me that even if cows are holy, you can eat them.

So my other questions are: If a cow is considered holy, can I order something like a beef burger in a restaurant? Will I get into trouble if I eat something like that in public?

Answer 1

Cows are considered holy in Hindu religion, not India as a whole per se. North/East/West India are primarily Hindu-majority regions and thus you're highly unlikely to find any beef, except perhaps at dodgy places in Muslim-dominated parts of those towns. Dodgy places because in those three parts of India cow slaughter is frowned upon and you don't find organised slaughterhouses for cows.

While Southern India has its own conservative Hindu population which do not eat beef, it also has proportionally higher numbers of Christians and Muslims - historically because Christianity was brought in by sea traders. Beef is not as uncommon in South India and you will certainly find it some restaurant menu (typically ones that are not under a Hindu owner's management). This is generally in upscale restaurants or hotels bars with a significant foreign visitor clientèle.

You'll never find beef products in chain restaurants such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Domino's etc. (For instance, there's no Big Mac burger in Indian McDonald's restaurants; instead, they have a 'Maharaja Mac' which is about the same size but with chicken patties.) Chain restaurants across India are primarily owned by a handful of companies based in North India. This was somewhat of a big issue in 2001 when rumours spread that beef fat was used in making French fries. You might come across signs in restaurants to this day which state 'Beef and beef products not sold here'.

Since the availablity of beef is so restricted, I can't think of how you'd end up eating it in a public place. Nevertheless, it isn't illegal and if you do acquire beef then you can cook it in your own home too.

Answer 2

There are a few restaurants in bigger cities that would serve beef dishes - but it is definitely not the meat of choice, the biggest reason being what you mentioned - holiness! Cows are sacred amongst the majority Hindu population, and eating beef is generally frowned upon. Another big reason for the lack of consumption is the inadequate hygiene. As you can imagine, the low consumption doesn't lend itself to strict handling and processing standards.

Bottom line - There is no law (legal or social) forbidding you from ordering beef, if you find it on a menu. Might I recommend a mutton (goat) burger substitute instead? Far more flavorful - especially with those delectable Indian spices

Answer 3

The absolute best steak I've ever eaten in my entire 40 years, hands down, was at the Soaltee Hotel Restaurant in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Nepal was at the time, the world's only officially Hindu kingdom.

So, what was the justification? The owners told me that they bought their meat in New Zealand. According to their interpretation, if it was a reincarnation, it wasn't someone they knew. :)

If you are craving beef, look for foreign hotels and eat there.

Answer 4

I never had any trouble finding beef or meat generally in India, though I never looked for a hamburger.

The trick is merely to find the places where the non-Hindu population eats.

Just about everywhere in the country has a muslim minority, except the parts which have a muslim majority (-: One way to spot muslim places is they will often have some signs in Urdu mixed in with whatever the local language might be. And Urdu is easy to spot because it is written in Arabic script. Another way is to see women dressed in muslim hijab.

But muslims are not the only meat eaters in India. Sikhs also eat meat including beef. The Sikh homeland is the Punjab in the north, but there are Sikh minorities all over India and a diaspora around the world. In fact most well-known Indian dishes outside India are Punjabi dishes because the Sikh diaspora were the ones opening the most Indian restaurants around the world.

Now Punjabi does use it its own writing but it looks somewhat similar to the Devanagari in which Hindi s written in unless you know what to look for. An easier way to spot Sikhs is by their turbans.

One more important thing: In tourist areas there will often be restaurants with meat including beef on the menu just for tourists. Avoid the meat in these places unless they are very popular. The problem is that the electricity supply is very unreliable in much of India and because the meat is only used when tourists drop by it may be kept in the freezer. You don't really want to eat meat that's thawed and re-frozen a dozen times.

So when you want to eat meat in India, look for restaurants where there are women wearing hijab, men wearing turbans, or signs in Arabic or Punjabi script if you know what they look like.

Answer 5

If you are craving beef while in India, a good place to go is Goa. Most beach restaurants in the tourist areas serve beef burgers on their menu. I was told that because it's a christian area, and the beef was made from bull rather than cow, there is nothing taboo about eating beef there.

Answer 6

In addition to Goa, you can find beef burger pretty much everywhere in Bangalore. I can name a few places:

• Thulp! (in Kormanagla and Kammanahalli)
• Hard Rock cafe (MG Road)
• Herbs and Spice (80ft Road)
• The Only Place (Museum road)
• Fat Chef (Whitefield)
• Millers 46 (Cunningham road)
• Bistro Claytopia (Indiranagar)

these are few of the popular places I could think of, I'm sure you can find a lot of places if you look-up on Zomato

Answer 7

As per your question say, It is very hard to find Beef Burger here. You can get some Beef dishes in some metropolitan cities and in some Non-Hindu owned shops in those cities but a burger is definitely not in here.