The popularity of mock meat around the globe is on the rise. Mock meat, also known as fake meat, substitute meat or meat alternative, is a product that is designed to resemble, as much as can be feasibly done so, the physical, aesthetic and taste qualities of real meat.
Mock meat is made from the likes of tofu, soya, tempeh and pea-based protein to name just a few. As mock continues to grow in popularity, so too does the technology and ingenuity that is used in the manufacture of new mock meats that are coming out onto the market. Long gone are the days of mock-meat being derided for being tasteless and drab.
Two recent mock-meat products that have recently emerged, and are earning continual rave reviews are the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat burger. Both products have been deemed to be so close to meat as to be indistinguishable, even to the point of seemingly bleeding red when cut into (no need to worry, the red is a nifty trick using beetroot juice among other vegan things. Regular meat-eaters have expressed both their delight and pleasant surprise at how realistic these mock-met products are.
It’s not just burgers – mock meat can take the shape of sausages, slices, nuggets, roasts and mince. And that’s just the tip of the mock meat iceberg of variety. If you enjoy the taste of meat, but hate the idea of what it actually is, then mock-meat could very well be your answer. “Regular” meat production and consumption is bad for the animals, bad for human health and bad for the planet. Mock-meat allows you to work your way around that terrible trio. For those who claim that they continue to eat meat for “the sake of taste”, well the mock-meat sun is steadily setting on that stale argument.
Vegan-burger anyone?