Fake Meat Culture is Already Here in Asia

Last year, I had blogged about plant-based faux meat products – and of course, the posts highlighted Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger. [Check out my posts published on January 12 and June 17 in particular]. 

These two mock-up meats are not the only ones getting into the act – there are others joining the bandwagon like Kellogg and Hormel Foods. Becoming mainstream is just a question of time. 

But if we have bothered to look at Asia, these foods are actually not new. In fact, imitation meats have been around for centuries, more so when we talk of Chinese cuisine. 

In Shanghai, for instance, you can order “roast duck” made with delicate layers of deep-fried bean curd (tofu) skin, and stir-fried “crabmeat” made with carrot, mashed potato, rice vinegar, and ginger, 1843 reports. 

What’s more, its creations have approximated a far richer array of fake meats, beyond the “burgers” trending in the West. 

These vegetarian dishes are staples of Buddhist monasteries throughout China, where imitation meat was conceived by monks and nuns who long observed a strict vegetarian diet. Most of the fake meat was made with tofu. 

“Imitation meat can serve as a kind of a substitute in the practitioner's transitional period from non-vegetarian to vegetarian”, says Pu Chengzhong (right), an assistant professor of Buddhist studies at the University of Hong Kong. “It was created for visitors of China’s monasteries and for transitioning monks”. 

But one thing that makes Chinese vegetarian food stand out from other meat alternatives is their lack of allium plants. On the other hand, Beyond Burgers are not suitable for strict Buddhist vegetarians as it contains alliums. 

Allium (Scientific name: Allium; family: Amaryllidaceae) is a genus of plants that includes leeks, shallots, green onions (scallions), garlic, chives and onions. They aren’t used because their flavors are said to excite the senses, which runs against the tenets of Buddhism. 

“Buddhist followers need to be content with little and not be greedy”, Pu clarifies. 

What started as a by-product of Buddhist beliefs has already made its way into the mainstream in this part of the world. Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, Inc. are merely following a long-established trend. 

It is worth mentioning that Asian vegetarian food is a deliciously inventive panoply of forms, and combining it with an appreciation of its rich history, surely makes for a more fulfilling dining experience.