When it comes to food, we humans generally put ourselves in either of these two categories – the vegetarian or the non-vegetarian. However, if you pay close attention, in today’s era, the lines between these two categories have become quite blurred. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this has put most of us in the category of omnivores.
We’re saying this because we found out that quite a few delicacies that are usually deemed to be vegetarian are actually non-vegetarian dishes because of the presence of a non-veg element in them. Here’s a list of ten such foods. Read ahead and prepare yourself for the shock or be marvelled, depending on your personal preferences.
10. Naan
No Indian dinner is complete without having this delicious bread in it. Well, we’re not saying all naans fall into this category, but most of the authentic naan recipes add eggs while kneading the dough. Eggs provide more elasticity to the bread and make it soft. If you’re an eggetarian, you can give this a pass. But, if you’re a vegetarian, dear friend, find a different companion for your Indian curries.
9. Salad Dressing
Okay, so you ordered a lettuce salad for yourself. Of course, the vegetables are definitely veg, but have you wondered what goes into the dressing? This might surprise you, but, most of the salad dressings contain egg in them. So, the next time you order a salad for yourself or buy a salad dressing to make a salad, pay attention to its ingredients.
8. Cheese
We Indians have taken to using cheese in our dishes to make them a notch yummier as fish takes to water. You have cheese dosa, cheese poha, cheese Maggi, cheese pav bhaji, cheese vada pav, and cheese paratha! But, do you know that the cheese you are so in love with contains a substance called “rennet”, that is an enzyme which is derived from animal guts. Of course, not all of you would be aware of this, owing to the fact that the cheese packets do not mention the actual name of the enzyme used. This fact landed you in a tough spot, didn’t it?
7. Oils
We all have seen the numerous TVCs which talk of “heart-friendly” oils, haven’t we? Turns out that these oils are not that heart-friendly. Oils which have Omega-3 acids, the ones that are advertised as good for your health apparently contain fish oil. Some even have vitamin D which is extracted from Lanolin, procured from sheep. So, the next time your doctor or any well-wisher recommends you to use heart-friendly oils, confirm what ingredients go into making it heart-friendly oil and purchase it only after your queries have been answered.
6. Beer
Boy, don’t we all love chugging a pint of beer every weekend? But, here’s the creepy truth behind its making – most of the beer brewers make use of an ingredient called “isinglass” to clarify their beers and give it that golden color. And this ingredient is another name for a fish bladder. Care for another drink after knowing this? Oh, and winemakers use it too (just in case you wanted to switch to wine now).
5. White Sugar
We have come to identify sugar with its pure white crystals. But, did you know that to obtain that pristine white color sugar goes through a cleansing process? And natural carbon is one of the main components of this process. If you’re wondering from where does this natural carbon come from – bone char is the answer (1). Charred animal bones are the precise source of it! If you think you can get over the shock of reading this we suggest you switch to brown sugar or unrefined sugar.
4. Red Candies
Brightly colored foods attract everybody, irrespective of what age group they belong to. And red candies are one such drool-worthy colorful treat. Research says that the red candies or other similar red colored foods get their colors from the food dyes. And these dyes, well, some of them, come from worms and insects. The dye is said to be extracted from female Dactylopius coccus costa (2).
3. Doughnuts
Another sweet treat which you thought was vegetarian but isn’t. If you are a hardcore vegetarian and love doughnuts, we have to warn you about this particular food choice as they are found to contain an enzyme called L. Cysteine. This is used for conditioning the dough and it is made of duck feathers and pig trotters.
2. Chewing Gums
We eat them to look cool or stop ourselves from binge eating junk. However, these yummy gums contain gelatin which isn’t something pure-vegetarians would love to chew on because gelatin is derived from the skin, tendons, bones, and ligaments of cows and pigs. It’s time to pick up new munchies now.
1.Chocolates
It breaks our heart to inform you that there are certain chocolates that contain whey powder, they have an enzyme called “rennet”. It is extracted from the stomach of a cow after it is slaughtered. Be careful, read the ingredients before buying yourself that bar of happiness.
The non-vegetarians amongst you might be grinning after reading these facts. But, sadly, it is the truth, dear vegetarians. We hope you all have noted these facts. If you know of any other vegetarian foods that need to be a part of this list, mention them in the comments below.
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