How did cow fat start a revolution?

Answer 1

Not a revolution: the Indian Mutiny. In 1857 the army of the East India Company, predominantly native Indian soldiers, was issued with Enfield rifles. To load these, one had to bite the end off a cartridge before poring its contents down the barrel. The cartridges were greased with mutton fat, but a rumour was started that the grease was pig fat (abhorrent to Muslims) or beef fat (forbidden to Hindus). This caused several regiments to refuse the cartridges, and an offer to let the troops grease their own cartridges was taken as an admission that the existing cartridges were indeed tainted. Mutiny became general and many Euopeans of all ages and sexes were massacred. The rebellion was put down by British regiments with great severity, and led to India being governed by Britain rather than by the East India Company for the next century.