Vegetables that taste like meat

[Blaine]

I have seen and tried some food that tastes like meat but they are vegetables in reality. I am not certain how they process the vegetables to taste like meat and I have no idea what ingredients went in the recipe but I was just curious to try. Do you have the same experience and how was it?

 

[lion]

Though tofu isn't really a "vegetable" - it is plant-based, and a lot of substitute "meat" is made out of tofu. Other plant based substitutes include tempeh, seitan and TVP.

Mushrooms are often used as a meat substitute too, though it's a fungus, rather than a vegetable. Speaking of fungi, Quorn is one brand that makes substitute meat made from a type of fungus.

 

[Cyprus]

I like the way mushrooms taste like chicken. I also like soya chunks which is made out of cooked, ground soya beans; the chunks are usually packaged dry. I recommend that you buy from organic shops as those in grocery stores have a lot of preservatives if you are keen on those aspects.

 

[thisnthat]

Tofu seems to be a good choice. I'm guessing that's because it is so versatile. I recently saw a recipe for breaded and fried tofu which is then baked in either barbeque or buffalo sauce. It can be used as a main course or an appetizer, instead of chicken wings, is my supposition. Such creativity keeps things interesting.

 

[Connie]

Why under the vegan category do you even want a vegetable to taste like meat? Surely the whole idea is that veganism is the abandonment of meat and fish and all things related to this, so why do you want something to taste like it? I don't understand!

 

[Blaine]

Why under the vegan category do you even want a vegetable to taste like meat? Surely the whole idea is that veganism is the abandonment of meat and fish and all things related to this, so why do you want something to taste like it? I don't understand!

I did not suggest nor imply that I want a vegetable to taste like meat I just mentioned my experience and asked the members if they have the same story. I am still in transition and this is not easy for me. For sure you had been in the same situation. If I have placed this topic under the wrong category then I would not mind if the admin will remove or transfer it.

 

[Connie]

I did not suggest nor imply that I want a vegetable to taste like meat I just mentioned my experience and asked the members if they have the same story. I am still in transition and this is not easy for me. For sure you had been in the same situation. If I have placed this topic under the wrong category then I would not mind if the admin will remove or transfer it.

I was simply working by your title "Vegetables that taste like meat".

Are you transitioning to vegan or to vegetarian?

I know of no vegetables that taste like meat. Mushroom sometimes have the texture or apparently the flavour of meat, though I don't agree with this assessment.

There are products that fake meat, but again, I really don't understand why anyone would want them. Seiten is wheat gluten, tofu is highly processed soya bean curd, textured vegetable protein (TVP or soya chunks) is again processed soya and quorn is a fungi.

I don't understand how the make it any easier. I guess that is because they were not around when I became vegetarian +30 years ago and by the time I became vegan, the only thing that I 'miss' was a decent cheddar cheese but even that is not required for me. I don't make cashew nut cheese to replace cheese, I make cashew nut cheese as something to put on bread or toast instead of cheese. It has it's own flavour and spices/herbs as I make it and is matured for as long as we feel it is needed. I use it in the same way I would a homemade bean pate which I would never expect to replace to replace cheese.

 

[Damo]

I did not suggest nor imply that I want a vegetable to taste like meat I just mentioned my experience and asked the members if they have the same story. I am still in transition and this is not easy for me. For sure you had been in the same situation. If I have placed this topic under the wrong category then I would not mind if the admin will remove or transfer it.

This should really be in the vegan transitioning forum, I'll move it.

Why under the vegan category do you even want a vegetable to taste like meat? Surely the whole idea is that veganism is the abandonment of meat and fish and all things related to this, so why do you want something to taste like it? I don't understand!

I'm assuming @Connie didn't actually mean for her post above to come across as insulting? I'll add a "transitioning" field in the "diet" field on your profile so you can choose if you are transitioning to a different diet to make threads like these easier to understand.

Play nice, we're all friends here.

 

[Connie]

No insult intended, I was simply asking a question and I am sorry if it came across in anyway as insulting. Like I said before, I was working on the title on the topic and I simply didn't understand why you would want a vegetable that tasted like meat.

 

[nytegeek]

Sodium content on many meat replacements is quite high. I am careful about my sodium intake. I personally eat vegetables because they taste like vegetables but everybody is different.

 

[Monica]

Why under the vegan category do you even want a vegetable to taste like meat?

I know I need meat replacements to help convince my husband that it's okay to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet. For me personally, that is important for helping meat lovers accept vegans... which is still impossible! :/

My favorite meat substitute brands are Tofurky and Field Roast. They are delicious! Yes, sodium is high, but before I switched to vegetarianism, I ate hot dogs (VOMIT ) and other processed foods that were even higher in sodium. I think meat substitutes help in the transition.

 

[Gettinggreener]

here we have a top class vegan/veggie kitchen called krulls. they do this 'sausage' roll using soya, i swear to god as a recent veggie/vegan i cannot taste the difference to the pre packed ones you buy in a supermarket.

 

[VeganStronglift]

Try making some Seitan. It is cheap, easy to make and a great protein source. It is the best home made meat replacement that I have tried.

A quick google produced these: http://www.yummly.com/recipes/vegan-seitan

 

[Laura]

I love beans/legumes! They aren't a vegetable, but they are very versatile in creating a meat like consistency. We just made lentil burgers for dinner tonight, and we do black bean burgers as well. Both of these things are fairly easy to make from scratch and freeze for quick meals later. I find lentils make a good beef substitute. I've done lentils in the crockpot with rice and seasonings to make taco 'meat' and I've used them in curry, too. I've also seen people use them in sloppy joe and spaghetti. Though, I've never tried either of those. Good luck!

 

[Carol]

Olives taste pretty meaty to me. I eat a lot of olives.

 

[Mickella18]

I have never heard of a vegetable tasting like meat before but I do find that peas and all legumes give a different taste.

It can also be a mental attribute where you are craving meat and you associate the taste of meat to the vegetable so in all honesty, any vegetable can taste like meat.

 

[Josie]

Hmm.. don't think I've ever had anything that tastes like meat before. I've created sauces and such that I used to use in certain meat dishes though.. like with tacos and fajitas for the kids, they don't miss the meat at all as long as the taste is there. Sort of like I mentioned in another thread, people like the flavours they use on meat more than they like the meat itself I think

 

[winter.frost]

Smoked aubergine can have a fishy taste (look up 'mouttabal'). Fried beans can have a bacon-like taste. But mostly it comes down to the flavouring - remembering how key rosemary was to chicken, thyme to beef etc.. For instance I have made amazing crispy duck out of baked inari (until dry) then marinated in hoisin and herbs, then served in little pancakes. I've made pulled pork out of jack fruit and shredded mushroom with the right seasoning and cooking methods (smoked/BBQ'd). I've used a blended combination of black pepper, chickpeas, kidney beans, and kelp flakes and spring onions to make tuna. I've used black salt for a sulphuric taste when I wanted to mimic egg, and I'm picking up new techniques all the time.

 

[cheapopete]

There is some type of tinned bean, or maybe it's chick peas, that taste a little bit like ham. But maybe it's the salted water in the tin.

 

[mikeroberts]

Smoked aubergine can have a fishy taste (look up 'mouttabal'). Fried beans can have a bacon-like taste. But mostly it comes down to the flavouring - remembering how key rosemary was to chicken, thyme to beef etc.. For instance I have made amazing crispy duck out of baked inari (until dry) then marinated in hoisin and herbs, then served in little pancakes. I've made pulled pork out of jack fruit and shredded mushroom with the right seasoning and cooking methods (smoked/BBQ'd). I've used a blended combination of black pepper, chickpeas, kidney beans, and kelp flakes and spring onions to make tuna. I've used black salt for a sulphuric taste when I wanted to mimic egg, and I'm picking up new techniques all the time.

Inari...is that not fish? Would that be vegatarian food? Or vegan? Am a noob at this just wondering...

I know Inari is used in sushi...but it is not clear frm a quick google search if that is veggie or not.