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The controversy over the all-vegetarian menu served at the BRICS gala dinner in Delhi has brought back memories of a similar state dinner hosted for former President APJ Abdul Kalam in Iceland more than two decades ago. Former Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson recalled that when he hosted Kalam during his 2005 visit to the country, he too served an entirely vegetarian menu.

Grimsson, who was Iceland's president from 1996 to 2016, said Kalam's visit was his first to Iceland as well as his first trip to the Nordic region.

"When I hosted the President of India for state dinner on the first such visit to a Nordic country, I also offered an all-vegetarian menu. More than 20 years ago! And in Iceland where it is not easy to be vegetarian!!" Grimsson wrote on X.

His post came in response to a social media post discussing criticism of the vegetarian spread served to BRICS leaders and suggesting that the menu was being mocked because it did not include non-vegetarian dishes.

What Was Served At BRICS Dinner?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the BRICS leaders for a special dinner at Bharat Mandapam during the two-day summit in Delhi.

The menu focused entirely on Indian vegetarian cuisine and included dishes such as khandvi, paneer lababdar, gucchi marmik, millet pulao, mushroom galouti and jalebi.

Millets featured prominently on the menu, in line with India's promotion of Shree Anna and its emphasis on sustainable food choices. The dinner was also intended to give visiting leaders a taste of India's traditional and contemporary culinary heritage.

While the vegetarian spread was praised by some as a showcase of India's diverse cuisine, the absence of meat and other non-vegetarian dishes triggered criticism from Opposition leaders.

Rahul Gandhi, Pawan Khera Criticise Menu

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi questioned the decision to serve only vegetarian food, arguing that the menu did not represent the dietary choices of a large section of India's population.

"For the record: 80 per cent of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister's chole bhature," Gandhi posted on X on Sunday.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also criticised the choice, accusing the government of imposing its dietary preferences on international guests.

He argued that India's culinary traditions encompass a wide variety of non-vegetarian dishes and questioned why some of them were not included in a dinner organised for visiting world leaders.