Food is an important part of Vaishnava culture, with cooking is considered one of the fine arts. Since Vaishnavas are natural vegetarians and their culture is Eastern, their cuisine contains an abundance of spiced vegetable dishes and exotic flavors.

As in many cultures, cooking is an important part of Vaishnava hospitality – as anyone will know who has visited a Vaishnava temple (especially during festivals). Srila Prabhupada, the Founder of ISKCON also loved to cook. He used his considerable culinary skills to make delicious preparations for the visitors who came to see him and also taught others how to cook.