Burger King goes beef-free in India

Miami - Burger King is famous as the home of the beefy Whopper hamburger, but not in India, where the American fast food empire opened its first franchise on Sunday featuring chicken, lamb and vegetarian fare.

The debut of the chain's New Delhi branch marks the 100th country to have a Burger King restaurant, the Miami-based corporation said in a statement.

"The Burger King team spent months developing a unique locally sourced menu that has been researched and tested by more than 5 000 customers across eight cities," for its beef-free establishment in India, where many people object to the slaughter of cattle for religious reasons.

The Miami, Florida-based company said that among the "innovative" items on its Delhi menu are Whoppers made from mutton and chicken, and a paneer melt sandwich, made using a fresh cheese popular in South Asian cooking.

The new establishment opened Sunday at Select Citywalk, a popular shopping mall.