Buddhist cuisine
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. The earliest written accounts of Buddhism appear in these Edicts rather than later texts like the Tripitakas. Monasteries became the primary engine for developing Buddhist cuisine as a distinct sub-style of cooking. One community member held the specific duty of head cook within each temple. This role required supplying meals that strictly adhered to religious precepts while respecting available ingredients. Temples open to visitors often served food to the general public alongside their own monastic assembly. Some temples effectively function as restaurants on their premises today. In Japan, this culinary custom is recognized as shōjin ryōri or devotion cuisine. It 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. Commercial restaurants have latched onto the style in modern times to cater to both practicing and non-practicing people.
The Mahayana canon contains explicit prohibitions against consuming meat found in sections of the Lankavatara Sutra. The Surangama Sutra also lists strict bans on eating flesh within the Mahayana tradition. Theravada monks gather alms themselves and generally must eat whatever foods are offered including meat. An exception exists when monks know an animal was specifically killed to feed them. Such consumption would be karmically negative according to ancient Indian rules. The Pali Scriptures indicate Lord Buddha refused a proposal by his disciple Devadatta to mandate vegetarianism. General Siha once offered meat to the Buddha without violating the rule. Thieves left meat for the nun Uppalavanna which she accepted because it met allowed conditions. Practitioners avoid strong-smelling plants like garlic, shallot, mountain leek, and Chinese onion. These items form the Five Acrid vegetables known as wu hun or five spices. They tend to excite senses and stir up passion irritability and imbalance. Buddhists believe these flavors interfere with inner calm required for meditation practice. Avoiding these foods is not about killing life but maintaining mental clarity. Alcohol and other drugs are avoided by many Buddhists due to their effects on mindfulness. Caffeinated drinks may sometimes fall under this restriction depending on interpretation.
Hangzhou China provided an environment that naturally supported a diet based on vegetables tofu fungi grains and freshwater fish. This clean simple style of daily eating existed long before Buddhist dietary rules spread across China. Local ingredients and traditional dishes shaped many vegetarian meals found in temples today. South Korean temple food has become a way to respond to social issues while practicing religion. Buddhist nuns 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. It leads to more commercialization of regional styles. Thai curry and tương serve as prominent seasonings in Southeast Asia. Soy sauce and vegan dashi figure strongly in Japanese monastery food. Rice porridge or congee serves as the usual morning meal in most East Asian regions. Noodles and other grains often accompany vegetable dishes prepared in vegetarian broth. Sweets and desserts are permitted in moderation during special occasions like tea ceremonies. Formal monastery meals in the Zen tradition generally follow a pattern of three bowls descending in size. The first bowl contains grain-based dishes such as rice noodles or congee. The second holds protein stews or soups made from plant sources. The third smallest bowl features vegetable dishes or salads.
Vegetarian chefs have become extremely creative in imitating meat using prepared wheat gluten known as seitan. Kao fu or wheat meat allows for various shapes and textures that absorb flavorings closely. 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. Some recipes represent the oldest and most-refined meat analogues in the world. Buddhist temples serve allium-free mock-meat dishes to monks and visitors staying overnight for weeks. Menus at Buddhist restaurants show no difference from typical Chinese or East Asian establishments except for soy chicken substitutes. Eggs are traditionally not considered vegetarian by many practitioners. Seasonings will be informed by whatever is common in the local region. Onions and garlic increase undesirable emotions such as anger or sexual desire according to belief systems. Soto Zen founder Eihei Dogen wrote instructions emphasizing sincerity in preparing food regardless of how coarse ingredients may be. A rich buttery soup is not better than a broth of wild herbs if prepared with wholehearted attention. Wild herbs should be handled as carefully as ingredients for a rich feast. Rich food and wild grass are not separate when nourishing seeds of living in the Way.
Commercial restaurants have latched onto the style catering both to practicing and non-practicing lay people today. The menu of a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant usually shows no difference from a typical Chinese or East Asian restaurant. Soy chicken substitutes might be served instead of original meat-containing recipes. Many believers follow the Buddhist vegetarian diet for celebrations rather than year-round observance. Some Buddhists eat vegetarian on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar calendar known as lenten days. Chinese New Year eve and saint ancestral holy days also trigger dietary changes. To cater to full-time vegetarians, menus adapt to show no visible distinction from standard dining options. Korean temple food has led to more commercialization of regional styles like hansik. Environmental stress and loss of community drive new meanings attached to temple food by nuns. Public health concerns influence how modern temples approach their culinary offerings. The history of Buddhist cuisine remains tied to monasteries where one member held the duty of head cook. This role required supplying meals that paid respect to strictures of Buddhist precepts while working with limited budgets. Temples open to visitors serve meals to them alongside their own monastic assembly.
Ongoing debates among American Buddhists question whether eating meat fits with the principle of non-harming. Some practitioners point to early Buddhist texts arguing that eating meat is allowed if not killed specifically for them. Others believe vegetarianism aligns more closely with ideas of compassion animal welfare and environmental responsibility. Factory farming and environmental destruction give even more reasons for people to reject meat according to some teachers. Tibetan Buddhism accepts practical difficulties in obtaining vegetables make it impossible to insist upon vegetarianism always. Many leading Tibetan Buddhist teachers agree on the great worth of practicing vegetarianism whenever possible. Chatral Rinpoche released large numbers of fish caught for food back into the ocean once a year. He wrote about the practice of saving lives as part of his lifelong advocacy. Views from Tibetan masters discourage meat eating even when meeting threefold purity rules. They argue the Buddha only allowed this rule temporarily to slowly eliminate meat eating long term. Avoiding meat is more consistent with teaching on non-harming unless someone has no other choice. Being vegetarian or vegan often seen as unrealistic there because environment makes hard to cultivate enough food. Some Tibetans focus on compassion for all beings believing rejecting meat is right choice despite harsh conditions.
Common questions
When did King Ashoka ban animal sacrifices in the Maurya Empire?
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.
What is shōjin ryōri and where is it commonly offered in Japan?
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.
Which plants do Buddhists avoid because they interfere with meditation practice?
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.
How does South Korean temple food address modern social issues today?
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.
What ingredients are used to create meat analogues in Buddhist vegetarian cooking?
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.