TOFURKY (meatfree turkey)

taxi97w

Thanks, but now I'm wondering where the 'meat flavour' is derived from.

Pandora123_2

taxi97w wrote: »

Thanks, but now I'm wondering where the 'meat flavour' is derived from.

Ah, I get it. That's a good question.

I saw some crisps at M&S last week, two of the flavours were "Honey Roast Wiltshire Ham" and some kind of beef flavour ones. I couldn't believe that the back of the packets said they were suitable for vegetarians. The ingredients list revealed a whole lot of spices and other natural flavourings, but no chemicals or "artificial ham flavour" or anything like that.

Redwood's veggie sage & marjoram sausages are flavoured with: sage, marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, coriander.

The veggie "fish" products we buy have seaweed in them... because what most people think of as a "fish" flavour is actually "seaweed" flavour. Fish taste like seaweed or like "the sea", so it's easy to make a veggie product taste "fishy" without the use of fish because it's simply a matter of adding seaweed for flavour.

I think what a lot of people think of as "meat" flavour are actually the herbs and spices and/or the method of cooking that gives the flavour to meat. After all, how appealing would a piece of chicken or beef be if it were simply simmered in a pan of unflavoured, unsalted water? Not very. But add some spices or throw it on the barbie to give a smoky flavour and it's a different matter.

:A

taxi97w

Good try!

But bacon taste is bacon flavour, chicken, turkey flavour etc. Not talking about all the b*ll*x (etp) they put in sausages to puff them out and make them not taste of b*ll*x.

I heard on telly (QI I think) that without bacteria, meat wouldn't taste of anything, so it's the bacteria that is the taste.

You've explained the fish flavour- that makes sense, but turkey, bacon flavoured tofu? That's what I don't get.

Pandora123_2

taxi97w wrote: »

Good try!

But bacon taste is bacon flavour, chicken, turkey flavour etc. Not talking about all the b*ll*x (etp) they put in sausages to puff them out and make them not taste of b*ll*x.

I heard on telly (QI I think) that without bacteria, meat wouldn't taste of anything, so it's the bacteria that is the taste.

You've explained the fish flavour- that makes sense, but turkey, bacon flavoured tofu? That's what I don't get.

Bacon doesn't take like pork...the curing process gives it a "bacon" flavour. There is a vegetarian product called "liquid smoke". It is a natural flavour that adds a kind of smoky flavour to foods. That may be what they use to make veggie bacon taste similar to bacon made from meat. Smoked paprika also gives a nice smoky flavour to foods.

I have made "chicken-like" slices from tofu by marinating in a liquid that contains vegetarian "chicken" bouillon (which contains herbs & spices) plus soy sauce and a product called nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is not the same as bakers yeast; they are savoury flakes that add a "chickeny" flavour to things. The slices taste amazingly like chicken.

I also add Marmite to things which I want to have a kind of "beefy" flavour.

So there are products out there which are not meat but which have a taste similar to or reminiscent of meat, especially when they are combined with other herbs & spices. So that gives a close approximation to meat flavour.

I can't tell you how similar veggie bacon or turkey or chicken is to the "real thing" as it's been a long time since I had meat. Could be some meat eaters wouldn't find them very close to meat at all, in which case they wouldn't think that the manufacturers are doing a very good job of approximating meat!

:A

welf_man

As an aside, where (fairly mainstream) can you get these "fish" products? My daughter turned veggie because she doesn't want to eat dead animals, but she used to love fishcakes and I thought this sort of thing might be nice for her.

Mel.

Pandora123_2

welf_man wrote: »

As an aside, where (fairly mainstream) can you get these "fish" products? My daughter turned veggie because she doesn't want to eat dead animals, but she used to love fishcakes and I thought this sort of thing might be nice for her.

Mel.

Redwood Foods make Fishless Fingers etc and you should be able to get them at larger Holland and Barretts in the chiller case. Waitrose also carry a small Redwood line, and have the Fishless Fingers at the store we shop at (not sure if all Waitrose stores carry them).

Some health food shops will also have the Redwood products, and they may also carry RealEat brand fishless cakes (I think they're in the freezer case and not the chiller), which we also like.

:A

Tojo_Ralph

......
I read an article last week in which a Director from Planet Organic spoke about the popularity of Tofurky and various new products that the company had planned for release in the first quarter of 2008. One such product was to be launched in an advertisement campaign fronted by Sarah Ferguson the former Duchess of York. The product being a Duck Tofu called Tofuck.