Impossible Foods just released the new Impossible Pork at CES 2020 this week, McDonald’s launched their first vegan nuggets menu in the UK last month, following other fast-food giants KFC and Burger King, who all started offering vegetarian or vegan-friendly faux meat meals last year.
As more people are embracing veganism and vegetarianism around the world, more options are becoming available to everyone. And if the rise of the California-based food tech companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods is any indication, this year looks like it is set to be the year of the faux foods.
Apart from the now widely available faux beef burgers and chicken nuggets, these are our top faux foods that you might want to try out.
1. Faux pork
Fresh off the press, at CES 2020, Impossible Foods launched their plant-based pork substitute, Impossible Pork. The first product to feature the faux pork is the Impossible Sausage which will be available very soon at fast-food chain Burger King across the US. Faux ground pork will also be hitting the markets soon. Rival company Beyond Meat also does a similar lab-created pork sausage.
2. Faux gras
With the foie gras ban looming in New York, perhaps it’s time to try faux gras - claimed to have the same texture, sensation, and deliciousness of foie gras without the killing of any animals. The famous recipe was developed by Michelin-starred chef Alexis Gauthier of Gauthier Soho.
3. Faux tuna
Newly converted vegans need not miss out on fish either, especially if it’s sushi you are craving. Faux tuna exists and is made with Roma tomatoes and umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce and sesame oil. Ahimi, by NYC-based company Ocean Hugger Foods can be used as sashimi, wrapped in rolls, in tuna salads, ceviche and poke - basically any recipe where real tuna is used.
4. Faux eel
Eel also entered the world of faux foods. Created as an alternative to freshwater eel (unagi), a popular fish in Japan, faux eel is made from eggplant and offers a similar savory, umami-rich taste of unagi with none of the environmental concerns.
5. Faux eggs
Photo JUST
The market has also hatched faux eggs as well. JUST Egg’s vegan egg substitute is made from mung bean proteins and apparently acts just like chicken eggs when scrambled.