Tag: cheese alternative

Vegan Cheese Substitutes

Veganism is the practice of not eating any animal related products. It can be taken a step further and include not using any products, which contain material taken from animals. This is something more than standard vegetarianism, which is generally just not eating meat. Indeed, the term vegan was born in 1944 when some members of the Vegetarian Society in Great Britain decided to give up dairy products as well and formed the word ‘vegan’ by abbreviating ‘vegetarian’, in order to refer to their new approach to eating.

There are a number of reasons why people adopt veganism. One of the main ones is due to the potential health benefits of consuming a natural, low-fat diet based on plant products. There could be other reasons, such as in the case of people who react badly to certain animal-based products (for example lactose found in milk) and so need to avoid eating them. Some people want to fight against cruelty to animals, to promote a green lifestyle, or simply belong to a religious group that believes in veganism.

Whatever the reasons for veganism, one thing’s for sure and that’s that it’s on the rise! Statistics show that many countries in the world have at least a small percent of the population who are vegan. In Great Britain for example, the number of vegans has grown from 150,000 in 2006 to 542,000 in 2016.

Obviously, if someone converts to a vegan diet it will mean giving up a lot of the foods that they enjoy and are used to eating. However, these days, due to the popularity of veganism there exist many plants based alternative foods that people can include in their diets. Following on, we are going to look at just one example, that of a vegan substitute for Parmesan cheese.

Parmesan, the king of cheese toppings

Parmesan is a cheese well-known for its use in grated form as a topping for many dishes in order to add flavor. The authentic Italian version of Parmesan cheese is called, ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano‘. This is a hard cheese, which has been produced for hundreds of years in certain regions of Italy. Its hardest and crystalline texture combined with strong pleasant taste is what makes it is ideal for grating and adding to dishes as a flavoring.

Buying original Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese produced in Italy can be expensive due to a number of reasons; it can only be produced by manufacturers in certain regions of Italy; it undergoes a traditional, well-controlled manufacturing process and finally, once made has to be shipped out all over the world for sale. As a result of this, a number of cheaper alternative Parmigiano-Reggiano style cheese exist, which are cheaper and generically known as Parmesan cheese.

Unfortunately for vegans, both Parmigiano-Reggiano and these other Parmesan cheeses are all off limits as they are made using cows’ milk. However, the good news is that a number of plant-based alternative Parmesan cheeses exist.

Soybeans to the rescue.

Soybeans were cultivated in East Asia long before records even began and gradually over the centuries their cultivation has spread throughout the world. Initially, their use was more for practical purposes, such as in crop rotation due to the fact that the soybean plants helped renitrogenese soil. Also, they were used in animal feed. Gradually though, people been to discover and appreciate their many other uses as a food substance.

Soybeans are an excellent source of protein and can be used as a meat substitute due to the fact that they contain a good spread of proteins, such that by consuming them someone obtains the proteins they need without having to worry too much about eating other foods. For this reason, they are a good option for vegans who are in danger of lacking proteins in their diet as a result of not eating meat or dairy products.

By boiling soybeans and then filtering the product soy milk can be produced. Yogurt or a yogurt starter can then be added to this milk, which after being left to stand in a warm place, will start to separate into liquid and solid, mimicking the process of curdling cheese. The curd produced can be used just like any other cheese, giving rise to, amongst other things, the possibility of Parmesan cheese suitable for vegans.

Almonds, a nutty alternative

As well as beans such as soy, nuts are also a good source of protein for vegans. This is good news for vegan cheese lovers as nuts can be very easily blended into a cheese-like food that can be used in many ways.

In the case of almonds, they are simply blanched (that is to say boiled briefly in water and then cooled and the skin removed), and then blended in a blender with nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder until a fine powder is formed. This can then be stored and used to sprinkle on food as an excellent alternative to Parmesan cheese.

Cashews, a nutty alternative to the nutty alternative

The above mentioned Parmesan cheese using almonds can just as easily be made using cashew nuts. The method and ingredients are identical except that cashews replace the almonds and so the process is slightly simpler as the cashews don’t need to be blanched. It is even possible to use a mixture of blanched almonds and cashews to produce a nut combination Parmesan.

No need for vegans to miss out

As we have seen, it is quite possible for vegans to enjoy the taste of Parmesan cheese on pasta, pizzas and the like. There are a number of commercial products available that imitate well Parmesan cheese, but use plant-based ingredients such as soybean, almonds or cashews. Those of us, who for whatever reason are following a vegan diet can try out some of these commercial products to see which one is most to their liking. But, as these vegan substitute Parmesan cheese are so easy to make, it’s also worth trying to make your own at home. By experimenting you can come up with your perfect combination and never have to miss out on that Parmesan cheese goodness again!

Feel free to leave below any experiences or suggestions you have regarding alternative Parmesans.

Tofu: A cheese like no other!

To be or not to be is a famous question once posed by Hamlet in the annuals of English literature (I can definitely recommened being!).

A cheeselover could somewhat rephrase the question and ask themselves to cheese or not to cheese. A slightly odd sounding sentence in English, but we could put it another way and ask, when is a cheese not actually cheese.

The answer to these condundrums is in any case, Tofu.

Tofu is a product very like cheese, but it is actually made from soya milk, which in turn is obtained from soya beans. Tofu is thus bean cheese if you will!

A Vegetable Beginning

Soya beans (or soybeans if you prefer!) are a crop that originated in East Asia. Interestingly, the beans themselves are not edible in their natural form, but can be processed in a number of ways to produce a plethora of different food products.

One such product is Soymilk. This is made by soaking and then grinding soybeans in water. The mixture is then heated and the pulp residue from the beans is filtered out leaving a milk like liquid hence Soymilk!

This Soymilk can then be treated and used just like animals’ milk thus ‚cheese’ can be produced.

Bean Cheese

Cheese is formed when milk is treated in such a way as to extract the solid protein from the liquid part of the milk. In much the same way, Soymilk can also be processed in order to extract the solid protein from the liquid part thus producing something analogous to cheese.

There are three ways to get the solid protein to come out of the Soymilk solution. One is by adding certain enzymes. Secondly, some edible acids will do the trick and thirdly, salts can be used (we’re talking magnseium or calcium chloride or calcium sulphate here, not your standard table salt, sodium chloride!).

Traditionally at least, salt is used (in particularly calcium sulphate) and it’s not hard to imagine that an accidental or experimental mix of Soymilk and one such salt was what gave rise to the discovery of bean cheese in the first place!

Acids are less popular as they tend to leave an aftertaste and the discovery of different enzymes that can coagulate Soymilk is a much more recent thing.

Once one of the above mentioned coagulates has been added to the Soymilk a gel is formed which consists of solidified protein from the Soymilk suspended in the liquid part of the Soymilk.

This gel is then drain and pressed in order to extract moisture and leave the remaining solid. In cheesemaking, this solid that results from extracting protein from milk is called ‚curd’ so that’s why the product here is often known as Bean Curd.

Otherwise Known as Tofu

This Bean Curd is better known as Tofu.

The English name Tofu comes from the equivalent Japanese name for this Bean delight, which in turn comes from the original Chinese name ‚Doufu’, literally meaning curdled bean (a spot on name then!).

Soybeans are a very popular crop, especially in Asia as they are highly nutritious. In particularly, they are full of protein which makes them an ideal food for a vegetarian diet, which comes in handy as many of the Eastern religions promote such a thing!

Much of this nutrititive value is passed on to Tofu. This makes Tofu a good cheese substitute as it contains plenty of protein. It is also low in calories (fat) and in salt (compared to many cheeses which are full of salt as this is an important preservative which stops them going off) not to mention containing other nutrients such as calcium or magnesium depending on how it has been made.

A Cheese of Many Uses

So the most basic questions is what can Tofu be used for? Well, you’d be surprised!

Obviously, the most simple answer is that it can just be enjoyed as it is! There are many different types of Tofu. Ranging from super fresh, which can be simply the curded Soy milk without even having the whey seperated out, to soft, firm and very firm versions. It can be flavoured by adding different ingredients (I can recommened Avocado powder!) There even exist dried, frozen, dried- frozen versions, not to mention the fact that the skin formed when heating Soy milk (Tofu skin or Yuba) can also be extracted, and in and of itself has many uses!

In the west, Tofu is often seen as a meat substitute because of its high protein content. It is indeed true that firmer Tofu’s can be used as an alternative to meat in, for example, Kebabs. However, this is a classic example of Westerner’s giving their own spin to something foreign. In Asia, Tofu is rarely seen as a meat substitute.

That being said, Tofu can be fried, boiled, stewed, added to soup or different sauces or even served stuffed. In this respect, it certainly is a great meat substitute and should be the delight of most vegetarians. Indeed, it is understandable why it was so popular amonst Buddhist monks!

In Asia, where Tofu is a big deal, there are endless ways that it is used, often depending on the country.

It can be flavoured in many different ways. Boiled peanuts or almond syrup are two that I would like to give ago!

It can also be combined with Tuna in Tahu Tuna, an Indonesian dish that also features fried Tofu. Again, one that I would like to give a try.

As you might realise with the Almond syrup, it can also be used both in savoury and sweet dishes.

Tofu Total

We could in conclusion say that Tofu is a total food. It is realtively easy to produce; It is healthy as foods go, with a high protein content, but low salt and fat; and has very many different uses.

It’s no wonder that it has been popular for so long in Asia, and is well worth being given ago by those of us in other parts of the world!