"Potato chips are vegetarian" because the only ingredients are potatoes and salt? Japanese temples subvert everyone's established impressions

Speaking of the vegetarian dishes eaten by Buddhist monks, your mind may immediately think of dishes that are mainly fruits, vegetables, and cereals, with light and simple seasonings, right? However, if I tell you that potato chips can be considered a type of vegetarian food, would you be able to accept it? Recently, a temple in Japan called "Satsujuzan Futetsuji Temple" put forward this argument. The reason is that the ingredients of potato chips are basically potatoes and salt, and they are undoubtedly vegetarian. However, this statement also caused many netizens to ask questions, such as what to do if they use animal oil for frying? What about seasoning with animal-based ingredients like cheese?

"People don't seem to realize it, so I wanted to remind you.

Potato chips are vegetarian! ! !

Let me tell you the important things again,

Potato chips are vegetarian! ! !

Because it's just salt and potatoes! ! !

Those who say French consomme tastes please reflect on this (｀・ω・´) I'm talking about potato chips with only salt and potatoes! ! ! "

A Japanese temple located in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, "Matsujuzan Futetsuji Temple", recently published the above article on X, which immediately sparked heated discussions among Japanese netizens...

The abbot here published a book two years ago

According to Futetsuji, the ingredients for potato chips are basically potatoes and salt, so they are undoubtedly vegetarian (Shojin cuisine). However, if you choose a flavor such as "French consommé", you have to pay attention to whether there are any animal ingredients in the ingredients.

Take the products of Calbee, a well-known Japanese potato chip manufacturer, as an example...

"Thin salt flavor" potato chips only use salt, kombu powder and other ingredients, and the seasoning is relatively simple

But the "French consommé flavor" potato chips use umami ingredients extracted from beef, chicken, and pork.

Futetsuji's article triggered a large number of Japanese netizens to raise questions, and Futetsuji also answered them one by one...

Netizen: "Where's the oil..."

Futetsuji: "I forgot to write it down, but as long as I use vegetable oil, it's OK."

Netizen: "Can I have black pepper?"

Fu Tetsuji: "Okay."

Netizen: "Is it okay to add salt to seaweed?"

Bu Tetsuji: "Okay!"

Netizen: "So frying it with lard doesn't count as vegetarian."

Futetsuji: "That's right."

Netizen: "If you use rapeseed oil for frying, it is 100% plant-based."

Fu Tetsuji: "Sesame oil is also fine."

Netizen: "But I always hear people say that eating potato chips can easily cause cancer. I feel like it doesn't fit in with the healthy image of vegetarianism."

Fu Tetsuji: "You can choose to cook it yourself and use delicious oil to fry it. It will be delicious~~"

Netizen: "Pizza flavor..."

Fu Tetsuji: "The pizza flavor may add a lot of umami ingredients, and there is also cheese..."

Netizen: "Then eating potato chips with Coke is completely equivalent to eating vegetarian food!"

Futetsuji: "I don't know how Coke is made, but maybe it's possible...?"

Netizen: "I think French fries taste much better than potato chips. Are French fries considered vegetarian?"

Futetsuji: "I don't quite understand the exact difference between the two, please tell me! But as long as no animal-based materials are used, it is vegetarian."

Netizen: "So, popcorn is considered vegetarian?"

Fu Tetsuji: "That's right!! Correct!!!!"

Very good, I have decided to be vegetarian for the first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year!