No one linking food with religion in Kerala, Minister offers clarification over "beef recipe" row

Amid the controversy surrounding Kerala Tourism sharing a beef recipe on Twitter on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Tourism Minister K Surendran on Friday said that the State government had no "interest in hurting the religious beliefs of anyone" and condemned the attempt to give the incident a "communal colour".

"In Kerala, no one is linking food with religion. The government does not have any interest in hurting the religious beliefs of anyone. Giving communal colour to this is condemnable," Surendran said at a press conference here.

He further said that some people were trying to give it a communal angle by asking for "pork recipes".

"Those who are trying to find communalism in all this, are creating a controversy by saying 'put pork pictures'. Many dishes, including pork pictures, are already on the website, they might not have seen," Surendran added.

Kerala Tourism had shared the recipe of a popular meat dish in the Central Travancore region of Kerala, Beef Ularthiyathu, which is a special delicacy in the region.

Taking to its Twitter handle, Kerala Tourism wrote, "Tender chunks of beef, slow-roasted with aromatic spices, coconut pieces, and curry leaves. A recipe for the most classic dish, Beef Ularthiyathu, the stuff of legends, from the land of spices, Kerala."

The tweet received mixed response, while some said "beef is not Kerala's culture", others termed the recipe "a match made in heaven".