New Delhi: Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar has addressed the buzz around the all-vegetarian menu served at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
The food choice sparked a debate, with some questioning why the high-profile gathering did not offer a more diverse menu.
Speaking to IANS in Mumbai’s Andheri West during the promotions of his upcoming streaming show Yess Chef, Ranveer explained the thinking behind the vegetarian spread.
“We make that thing a mandate. Sometimes, you want to stay away from the global controversy. Some countries eat beef, some countries eat pork, so sometimes you want to stay away from it and you want to serve food that stays away from controversy. Vegetarian food stays away from controversy, internationally,” he explained.
Held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, the 18th BRICS Summit centred on the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Leaders from all 11 BRICS members — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia — participated in the summit.
Representatives from 10 partner countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Nigeria, Uganda, Cuba, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, also took part.
Ranveer further clarified that the vegetarian menu should not be seen as a permanent choice for such events.
“Another thing, it is not that we will always serve vegetarian food. In ‘MasterChef’ there was a vegetarian season last year. People were like, ‘MasterChef has turned vegetarian’. But, that was not the case. It was only that we wanted to highlight the vegetarian food of our country. The world is talking about vegetarianism, veganism, so this time, we celebrated our vegetarianism and we should see it that way. We have to put a united front in front of the whole world,” he added.
The summit also saw participation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and heads of key institutions, including the WHO, WTO, AIIB and New Development Bank.
It concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration, a 140-point document covering issues ranging from global governance and peace and security to trade, technology, health and climate.