The upcoming BRICS Summit 2026 in New Delhi, hosted by India, has sparked significant debate due to its exclusively vegetarian menu. The decision to serve only vegetarian dishes to global leaders and dignitaries has become a contentious issue within the country. Critics argue that this choice may not reflect the diverse culinary preferences of the attendees, igniting discussions about cultural representation and hospitality at such a high-profile international event.
The issue has now drawn a response from Iceland’s former President, Olafur Ragnar Grimmson, as well who took to social media to share an anecdote regarding his experience with an Indian leader and all-vegetarian menu. “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. And in #Iceland where it is not easy to be vegetarian!!” he wrote on his social media handle.
More than 20 years ago! The post seemed to allude to a 2005 state dinner hosted for President Kalam in Iceland.
In response to a social media post explaining the “carefully curated ingredients” of the BRICS menu, Grimmson revealed that during his time as the Nordic country’s president, he too hosted then Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam and served him an all-vegetarian menu, something that’s tough to do in a meat-eating country like Iceland.
Opposition leaders in India have targeted the Centre for their selection of an all-vegetarian diet. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister’s chole bhature. Congress leader Pawan Khera replied to Gandhi’s post by launching a sharp attack on BJP. “The BJP’s habit of imposing its dietary preferences on fellow Indians is already deeply problematic. Now, they have taken it a step further by imposing their own choices on dignitaries from across the world,” he wrote, along with an image of the BRICS Summit menu.
Avoiding any name-dropping, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took an indirect jab at the BRICS Summit menu by sharing a photo of home-cooked chole bhature with the caption, “For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian.
