Fri, Jan-21-22, 07:08
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Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Quote:
Fake chicken is the future – and it’s absolutely delicious
My husband's goujons are proof of concept. It's now possible to create plant-based products that precisely match the deliciousness of meat
A couple of months ago my husband was sent a bag of fake chicken goujons. He works in food, so people send him things to try. This product was more intriguing than most. Made by a US firm at the leading edge of the “alternative protein” industry, it is so new that you can’t yet buy it in this country.
I didn’t have high hopes. Both my sons are devout carnivores, and even their vegetarian sister refuses to eat most “meat alternatives”, on the sensible grounds that they are gross. But these goujons – I have to tell you, these goujons are going to change the world.
My husband served them fried, with mash and peas. The children took tiny, cautious nibbles at first, but then their faces relaxed into the kind of blissed-out junk-food smiles that would normally set my parental alarm bells ringing. “These are amazing!” they shouted. “They taste exactly like chicken!” (They do.) “More please! More!”
Chicken goujons are easier to fake than, say, a rump steak. The “meat” centre is relatively small, and the breadcrumb coating provides structure and a moreish crunch. Even so, these goujons are proof of concept. It is now possible to create plant-based products that precisely match – and in this case, slightly exceed – the deliciousness of meat.
This is great news for the planet. Our global appetite for meat is unsustainable: 77 per cent of the world’s farmland is used to feed livestock. Meat production accounts for almost 60 per cent of all food industry emissions – not just because of methane burps, but also deforestation and run-off. Although it is possible to rear animals in a low-density, environmentally friendly way, such enlightened husbandry will never produce enough meat to satisfy the market.
The same is true of fish. This week an Israeli firm unveiled the world’s first 3D-printed salmon fillet, made entirely from plants. If it’s as tasty as the goujons, this may be the salvation of our oceans.
What is good for the planet, however, may not be so good for our bodies. As the smiles on my children’s faces attest, plant food can also be junk food: fatty, salty, ultra-processed nuggets of strange-sounding ingredients, scientifically configured for optimal addictiveness. In fact, my guess is that vegetarians – who until now have been largely obliged to cook from scratch, because the processed options were so unappealing – will become as fat and greedy as the rest of us, once these temptations are laid before them.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...tely-delicious/
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I do love the fact the majority of comments below this article are of the 'no thanks, we'll pass on this ultra processed vegan fake muck' persuasion! |