A video shared by a foreign traveller from Germany has sparked a heated online debate after it showed dog meat being served openly at one of India's most popular cultural festivals. The clip, filmed at the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, has gone viral for documenting a food practice unfamiliar to many viewers, while others defended it as part of regional tradition.
Dog meat served at Hornbill Festival in Nagaland
The video was posted by Alexander Welder, a German travel vlogger currently exploring India. During his visit to the Hornbill Festival at Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima, Welder recorded visuals of food stalls selling dog meat. In the clip, he zooms in on a menu card listing “local dog with rice” priced at Rs 350, and “local dog” alone for Rs 200. The casual display of the dish immediately caught the internet’s attention.
Check out the video below:
Curious but cautious, Welder spoke to the woman selling the food and asked how dog meat tastes. She responded that it tastes like “chicken.” He then approached a man eating the dish and asked for his opinion, to which the man replied, “Fantastic.” Despite documenting the experience, Welder clarified through his actions that he did not taste the food himself, choosing only to observe and record.
Internet reacted
As the video spread, social media platforms were flooded with mixed reactions. One user wrote, :This is India's diversity, and we Indian respect it." Another lengthy comment attempted to contextualise the practice, stating, "I don't eat Dog meat, but to everyone saying they don't eat beef in India, in Northeast we actually eat beef here… Dog meat is mostly eaten in Nagaland… it has nothing to do with everyone being Christian or Hindu… these states were previously Independent Kingdoms… their cuisine, language, culture… will forever remain a part of their heritage."
However, not all reactions were supportive. Some users expressed sadness and discomfort, commenting, "So sad even dog they eat it." Others suggested the tradition may be fading, writing, "The tradition of eating dog meat will naturally fade away soon. Younger generations no longer identify with it… It’s mostly the older generation that still follows the old custom."h
The Hornbill Festival 2025 was held from December 1 to December 10, celebrating the cultural richness of Nagaland through music, dance, crafts, and indigenous food.
