Beef and beyond: exploring the meat consumption practices of Christians in India

Abstract

Meat-eating in India cannot be analysed simply as a marker of ritual impurity: the culinary experiences of South Indian Christians also indicate the importance of meat in forging positive identities. In this paper, I draw out some of the fine-grained distinctions made by my informants in relation to meat-eating, which suggest that its consumption is shaped not only by caste and religion, but in relation to gender, age, status and other personal considerations. Secondly, I attempt to situate these practices within wider contexts: the cross-cutting influences of national anti-cattle slaughter campaigns and reactions against them; a growing movement of environmentalists and food activists; and the economics of meat production, which are rapidly changing in relation to new farming methods and other ecological shifts.