MazR
09-09-2008, 16:44
Hello everyone. Has anyone else cottoned on to the fake mozzarella doing the rounds at the moment in Sheffield? I eat out a lot and in less than a month the two Italian restaurants I've been to are selling it in place of the real stuff. It's quite easy to spot: it has a different look and texture completely, very smooth, wet and shiney, looks almost plastic, cut into uniform, perfect discs. It has no flavour whatsoever. And here's why: it's a "cheese analogue".
Taken from t'internet:
Cheese analogues are products made out of dairy, partial dairy or non-dairy ingredients, which tend to resemble the particular standardized cheese variety in question. The growing gap between the demand and production of cheese and the customers preference for a 'tailor-made' convenience product has necessitated production of cheese analogues; Mozzarella cheese analogue (MCA) being one of the preferred ones. This is generally made from a formulation comprising of partly hydrogenated vegetable oil, casein / caseinates with or without vegetable protein, binder, stabilizer, emulsifier, emulsifying salt, acidulant, salt, colouring, flavouring, preservatives and water without using starter culture and rennet.
Yum. And yes, you read it correctly: amongst the frankly revolting and bizzare ingredients is HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL. Good grief, they are trying to kill us. This is one of the most dangerous "foods" on the planet - it's banned in two countries - and should not be served in anything, let alone a Caprese salad (come to think of it, due to its strange texture and appearance I've just realised it was in my lasagne as well). And I go out of my way to avoid it so I certainly don't want to be paying good money to eat it!
there is a brilliant article on the Independant website about this hideous Frankenstein food, just search for "deadly fats why are we still eating them" (sorry, tried to post the link but haven't had enough posts so was blocked).
Please be careful about what you eat and ask the restaurant owner if you have and concerns about whether it's real or not.
To be fair to the restaurant owner I don't think they really appreciate how bad this is, I'd think they're probably just trying something new from their suppliers. If this is true then - alongside us as customers being aware - hopefully it might die out soon enough..
Taken from t'internet:
Cheese analogues are products made out of dairy, partial dairy or non-dairy ingredients, which tend to resemble the particular standardized cheese variety in question. The growing gap between the demand and production of cheese and the customers preference for a 'tailor-made' convenience product has necessitated production of cheese analogues; Mozzarella cheese analogue (MCA) being one of the preferred ones. This is generally made from a formulation comprising of partly hydrogenated vegetable oil, casein / caseinates with or without vegetable protein, binder, stabilizer, emulsifier, emulsifying salt, acidulant, salt, colouring, flavouring, preservatives and water without using starter culture and rennet.
Yum. And yes, you read it correctly: amongst the frankly revolting and bizzare ingredients is HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL. Good grief, they are trying to kill us. This is one of the most dangerous "foods" on the planet - it's banned in two countries - and should not be served in anything, let alone a Caprese salad (come to think of it, due to its strange texture and appearance I've just realised it was in my lasagne as well). And I go out of my way to avoid it so I certainly don't want to be paying good money to eat it!
there is a brilliant article on the Independant website about this hideous Frankenstein food, just search for "deadly fats why are we still eating them" (sorry, tried to post the link but haven't had enough posts so was blocked).
Please be careful about what you eat and ask the restaurant owner if you have and concerns about whether it's real or not.
To be fair to the restaurant owner I don't think they really appreciate how bad this is, I'd think they're probably just trying something new from their suppliers. If this is true then - alongside us as customers being aware - hopefully it might die out soon enough..