There's fungus among us!
May. 23rd, 2002 11:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beetigerI became vaguely aware of the meat substitute Quorn a few years ago, when it was awaiting FDA approval in the US. It's a protein source made from...mushrooms, sort of. A Fusarium fungus really, which is probably best known as a kind of wheat blight, but one species of which can apparently be fermented and processed from a pinkish fuzz into fibrous stringy protein stuff that is vaguely chicken-like if you stare at it the right way. The product is labeled as containing mycoprotein, which it describes as "coming from a small unassuming member of the mushroom family". Recently, Quorn made the news again. A variety of people are complaining about it: the makers of Gardenburger and the American Mushroom Board claiming that the labeling is deceptive and reflects poorly on mushrooms, mycologists complaining that Fusarium-eating is not well-studied, and that Fusarium can sometimes be poisonous.
There are actually very few foods product available in the US that start with the sound "kw", spelled "qu". Quark, a smooth unripened cheese, popular in Europe, has never quite overtaken cottage cheese in the states, though some artisan cheesemakers do make it. Quisp, a breakfast cereal which is from outer space and also from the late sixties, is making a vague nostalgic comeback. But that's about it.
But I digress. Since I'm not afraid of fungus, and generally not too concerned about my own health in the pursuit of food knowledge, and bolstered by the information that Europeans have been eating the stuff for sixteen years with very low levels of reported problems, I decided to go get me some Quorn. I'm a committed omnivore, but cook vegetarian a lot, and I actually do eat quite a few meat analogue products. I was disappointed that our local natural foods store, one of the few around here that's run by local community folks rather than a chain, didn't have the plainest versions of the ingredient as listed on the website -recipe tenders (aka fake chicken) and recipe grounds (aka fake beef), but I bought what they had, 'chicken' patties, Fettuccine Alfredo with 'chicken', and 'meat' lasagna.
Nutritionally, the products don't have the spectrum of attractions often seen in alternative-meat products in the US. They're not particularly low in fat or salt, and they contain wheat, egg, soy, and milk products, thus hitting most major allergies, and making the products inappropriate for vegans. But they are all-natural, and the ethical vegetarians might like them, if they taste good. So, in the name of research, I ate them.
Meat-free patties: Lightly breaded 'chicken' patties, smaller and plumper than patties like Boca or Gardenburger. The taste was neutral and not offensive, though not spiced strongly enough for my taste. The texture is where this product really shines, though. The stringy, firm bite was in fact remarkably like slightly soft chicken breast. A good choice if that aspect of the meat-eating experience appeals to you. Personally, I'll keep to the Boca Spicy Chick'n Patties for my fake chicken patty needs.
Fettuccine: There was no point to the high amount of fat used in this product (16 grams), as the texture of the sauce was very similar to that in Lean Cuisine products I've tried, despite the heavy whipping cream used. Gloopy and undersized. The Quorn pieces in this looked and tasted fairly different - flaky chunks that reminded me of canned tuna. In fact, I might have liked this better had it been labeled as "tuna" casserole. Canned chicken may also taste that way; I've never had it. I wouldn't buy this one again, and I'm not inspired to try the lasagna, which I'd guess is in the same style.
Suddenly, I'm thinking of building one of those Internet quizzes: "Which meat analogue are you?" If I do, I'll be sure to let you know...
There are actually very few foods product available in the US that start with the sound "kw", spelled "qu". Quark, a smooth unripened cheese, popular in Europe, has never quite overtaken cottage cheese in the states, though some artisan cheesemakers do make it. Quisp, a breakfast cereal which is from outer space and also from the late sixties, is making a vague nostalgic comeback. But that's about it.
But I digress. Since I'm not afraid of fungus, and generally not too concerned about my own health in the pursuit of food knowledge, and bolstered by the information that Europeans have been eating the stuff for sixteen years with very low levels of reported problems, I decided to go get me some Quorn. I'm a committed omnivore, but cook vegetarian a lot, and I actually do eat quite a few meat analogue products. I was disappointed that our local natural foods store, one of the few around here that's run by local community folks rather than a chain, didn't have the plainest versions of the ingredient as listed on the website -recipe tenders (aka fake chicken) and recipe grounds (aka fake beef), but I bought what they had, 'chicken' patties, Fettuccine Alfredo with 'chicken', and 'meat' lasagna.
Nutritionally, the products don't have the spectrum of attractions often seen in alternative-meat products in the US. They're not particularly low in fat or salt, and they contain wheat, egg, soy, and milk products, thus hitting most major allergies, and making the products inappropriate for vegans. But they are all-natural, and the ethical vegetarians might like them, if they taste good. So, in the name of research, I ate them.
Meat-free patties: Lightly breaded 'chicken' patties, smaller and plumper than patties like Boca or Gardenburger. The taste was neutral and not offensive, though not spiced strongly enough for my taste. The texture is where this product really shines, though. The stringy, firm bite was in fact remarkably like slightly soft chicken breast. A good choice if that aspect of the meat-eating experience appeals to you. Personally, I'll keep to the Boca Spicy Chick'n Patties for my fake chicken patty needs.
Fettuccine: There was no point to the high amount of fat used in this product (16 grams), as the texture of the sauce was very similar to that in Lean Cuisine products I've tried, despite the heavy whipping cream used. Gloopy and undersized. The Quorn pieces in this looked and tasted fairly different - flaky chunks that reminded me of canned tuna. In fact, I might have liked this better had it been labeled as "tuna" casserole. Canned chicken may also taste that way; I've never had it. I wouldn't buy this one again, and I'm not inspired to try the lasagna, which I'd guess is in the same style.
Suddenly, I'm thinking of building one of those Internet quizzes: "Which meat analogue are you?" If I do, I'll be sure to let you know...
