EU McDonalds Germany Launches vegan burger

Andy_T

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Quite amazing - McDonalds Germany plan to launch next week in all major restaurants in Germany a new "big" burger (on par with their "Big Mac" or similar) that is completely vegan.

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Featuring GardenGourmet's "Incredible Burger" (mind you, NOT the "Impossible Burger" I originally confused it with, but on the other hand, Garden Gourmet is a Nestle Brand and so not very much appreciated in vegan circles), tomato, salad, and a mustarb-based vegan sauce, this should be interesting.

Of course, few ethical vegans will now head to McDonalds, as they are typically not too fond of the company (nor of Nestle), but the more meat eaters choose this instead of a burger made from dead animals, the better this will be for all of us.

Also, for people like me, who do have a non-vegan family, and who have on multiple occasions enjoyed the "vegan menu" (garden salad, fries, apple pie) this should be an improvement for those instances where family pressure requires us to go to this place.

They even launched a commercial for it, focusing on the fact it is not only for "do-gooders":

 
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Aaaaaand ... here we are.

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Verdict ... it was ok-ish.

Definitely not comparable to, say, a “Beyond Burger”, but an ok, neutral patty. I guess most meat eaters will be able to distinguish it from a dead animal burger in blind tests. On the other hand, I was told normal McDonalds patties taste like cardboard, so maybe not.

Not dry, not tasting of veggies too much (actually ... not tasting much of anything), but likely acceptable when you wait at a train station or all your non vegan friends want to go to McDeath.

If you have a decent vegan burger shop near you, chances are they will have a slightly more expensive offer that tastes much better.

Also, I would guess with what I have heard about it so far, that BurgerKing’s “Impossible Whopper” is likely much better.

But, I am happy for all the 16 year old vegans who want to hang out with their friends and eat more than fries and an apple pie.
 
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Aaaaaand ... here we are.

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Verdict ... it was ok-ish.

Definitely not comparable to, say, a “Beyond Burger”, but an ok, neutral patty. I guess most meat eaters will be able to distinguish it from a dead animal burger in blind tests. On the other hand, I was told normal McDonalds patties taste like cardboard, so maybe not.

Not dry, not tasting of veggies too much (actually ... not tasting much of anything), but likely acceptable when you wait at a train station or all your non vegan friends want to go to McDeath.

If you have a decent vegan burger shop near you, chances are they will have a slightly more expensive offer that tastes much better.

Also, I would guess with what I have heard about it so far, that BurgerKing’s “Impossible Whopper” is likely much better.

But, I am happy for all the 16 year old vegans who want to hang out with their friends and eat more than fries and an apple pie.
I like the "Achtung, 0% Fleisch" label :) Thanks for the review!
 
In the meantime, the feedback of omnivorous friends of some of our local vegans, who had organized shared testing sessions, has also come in, and it seems they were not unduly impressed.

"A bit too dry, too little Ketchup" seems to be the final verdict.

So most of the vegans in Germany are not expecting huge numbers of meat-eaters to spontaneously go vegan because of their incredible experiences at McDonalds, but let's hope that some people do buy it and they don't discontinue it after half a year.
 
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Thanks for that.

I wonder if Mcdonalds wanted a cheaper option that Beyond/Impossible. How much more expensive was it vs regular burger (if at all)?

I read the Omnivore's Dilemna by Michael Pollan and he describes taking the bun and seasoning and veg away from the meat (cow) patty and discovering that there was almost no discernible taste or texture left, and what was there was more due to the added flavoring.

I ordered a salad once in Mcdonalds and it was a depressing experience, I think it was literally just lettuce and croutons. However nowadays the only Mcdonalds we go to are mall food courts so I don't have to actually eat from Mcdonalds.
 
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So ... here is a sum-up of the discussion in German vegan facebook groups 3 days after the launch :D

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Andy, Did you see my question: How much more expensive was it vs regular burger (if at all)?
 
Nope, had not seen that question. Price for the burger only is EUR 3,99, same as fillet-of-fish, twice expensive as the old veggie burger.

Honestly - a bit expensive for what is offered. Price in the menu is 7,39, same as all the other “big” burgers like Big Mac.
 
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I read the Omnivore's Dilemna by Michael Pollan and he describes taking the bun and seasoning and veg away from the meat (cow) patty and discovering that there was almost no discernible taste or texture left, and what was there was more due to the added flavoring.

When I went vegetarian about thirty years ago, I would order a Whopper without meat at Burger King. It tasted almost exactly the same as a regular Whopper.

The flavor is indeed all in the bun, condiments, tomato, lettuce, etc.