Many recipes first emerged during the initial Vedic period, when India was still heavily forested and agriculture was complemented with game hunting and forest produce. In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, grain, dairy products, honey, and meat, especially poultry. Over time, some segments of the population embraced vegetarianism. Initially, the caste system also dictated the diet of the people. The Brahmins were allowed dairy and vegetarian fare, the warriors or Kshatriya clan were permitted meat from the hunt, the traders or Vaishnavas were predominantly vegetarian and consumed a lot of grains or lentils and the Sudra who were the lowliest class were permitted to eat boar or other animals that were shunned by the higher castes. The advent of Buddhism affected this shift, as well as an equitable climate permitting a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains to be grown throughout the year. A food classification system that categorized any item as saatvic, raajsic or taamsic developed in Ayurveda. The Bhagavad Gita prescribes certain dietary practices (Chapter 17, Verses 8–10). In this period, consumption of beef became taboo, due to cattle being considered sacred in Hinduism. Many Indians continue to abide by this belief, making the use of beef in Indian cuisine rather rare. Beef is eaten predominantly by the Muslims and Christians and in India, beef is normally buffalo meat.
