Short answers, pulled from the story.
King Ashoka issued rock edicts around 257 BCE that banned animal sacrifices across his Maurya Empire. These ancient inscriptions suggest a vegetarian tradition existed for laypeople, though details remain unknown to historians.
Shōjin ryōri or devotion cuisine is a culinary custom recognized in Japan that remains commonly offered at numerous temples, notably in Kyoto. A more recent version prepared by the Obaku school of Zen appears at Manpuku-ji and its subtemples.
Practitioners avoid strong-smelling plants like garlic, shallot, mountain leek, and Chinese onion which form the Five Acrid vegetables known as wu hun or five spices. These items tend to excite senses and stir up passion irritability and imbalance while interfering with inner calm required for meditation practice.
South Korean temple food has become a way to respond to social issues while practicing religion through Buddhist nuns who use temple food to address problems like food insecurity public health concerns and environmental stress. The growing popularity of temple food promotes Korean cuisine known as hansik and leads to more commercialization of regional styles.
Vegetarian chefs have become extremely creative in imitating meat using prepared wheat gluten known as seitan and soy products such as tofu and tempeh provide versatile materials for cooking. Agar konnyaku and other plant products mimic various kinds of meat quite closely with proper seasoning.