Is 'Vegetarian Meat' A Misnomer?

[Tomm06 12]

I think mat substitute would be the  better name for it. A lot of none vegetarian people I've spoken to seem to expect vegetarian meat to taste pretty much the same - which let's be honest, it really doesn't. 

 

That being said I do like them, besides the Quorn 'pieces' I just can't get on with them. 

 

 

[the_bloke 17]

17 hours ago, Tomm06 said:

I think mat substitute would be the  better name for it. A lot of none vegetarian people I've spoken to seem to expect vegetarian meat to taste pretty much the same - which let's be honest, it really doesn't. 

 

That being said I do like them, besides the Quorn 'pieces' I just can't get on with them. 

 

 

I did three months non meat this year, so enjoyed myself trying out a lot of veggie recipies and some of the meat substitute products.

 

However, they really do need to stop marketing things as 'tasting just like meat' as it plainly isn't. This is why people think it's going to be like meat; they are told it is like meat from the marketing machine, plus vegetarians of 20 years eating these new veggie and vegan foods and thinking it's what meat tastes like because it's been so long since they had any they've forgotten so just believe what they are told.

 

Quorn pieces work well as substitute for chicken in mild creamy curries by the way. Plus they don't really need marinating unlike meat.

Edited May 15, 2020 by the_bloke

[melthebell 863]

2 hours ago, CaptainSwing said:

 

Yes, I quite like the Quorn pieces too, and yes they do work in curries, hot or mild.  In fact one of the very first Quorn products back in the 1980s was a "Quorn Malay" ready meal from Sainsburys, which was a mild curry that also contained fruit, including lychees I seem to remember.  The 'pieces' also work well in stir fries (IMO).

 

I don't think many vegetarians of 20 years could care less about whether a product tastes like meat or not - that's not at all the market for these new allegedly more realistic 'substitutes'.  As @max hinted earlier in the thread, the main attraction of things like Quorn or veggie burgers is convenience.  I think of them as a source of protein, but certainly not as a substitute for meat.  A more convenient substitute for lentils, maybe ...

speaking of which, finally got red lentils, YAY so can cook 1 of my specialities, cheese and lentil loaf, i love it, both hot and cold, for tea, then dinner the day after

[feargal 21]

11 hours ago, melthebell said:

speaking of which, finally got red lentils, YAY so can cook 1 of my specialities, cheese and lentil loaf, i love it, both hot and cold, for tea, then dinner the day after

Ooh, that's my lunch sorted Mel, thanks for the reminder! I remember making this in the 80s from the Cranks veggie cookbook.  I always love it, but then instantly forget it for about 3 years 😊

[melthebell 863]

1 hour ago, feargal said:

Ooh, that's my lunch sorted Mel, thanks for the reminder! I remember making this in the 80s from the Cranks veggie cookbook.  I always love it, but then instantly forget it for about 3 years 😊

Yeah its in the oldest cookbook we own, the covers fell off and everything, but i know the recipe off by heart anyway lol

 

[Norbert 145]

I found some Chicken Of The Woods mushrooms today and had a sandwich of it, avocado, beetroot and hummus for tea, I enjoyed the texture and savoury taste. By chance my neighbour asked me what I’d had for tea, which led to me giving him a piece, and he was amazed. The veggie food industry should really try and use it.

 

With food in general it’s what you get used to:
To me soya milk tastes neutral, while cows milk is cloying.
Dairy cheese tastes rancid, while vegan cheese is just strange.
Veggiburgers and sausages range from succulent to cardboardy (Linda Mc, if overcooked), and fit nicely into the different shapes bread comes in.

 

 

[melthebell 863]

For tea today i had a vegan No Chicken Burger, was ok, didnt taste of too much

[hello1964 23]

On 19/05/2020 at 20:48, melthebell said:

For tea today i had a vegan No Chicken Burger, was ok, didnt taste of too much

Aldi. Soon as you said didn't taste of much, I guessed it. 

[Baron99 794]

You want to try Sainsburys vegetarian chilli.  Tastes great. 

[mikeG 16]

On 12/05/2020 at 13:37, RJRB said:

I think it’s an oxymoron.

My thoughts exactly.