Plant-based meat and hamburgers and where in the middle does it meat, pun intended. One is meat and one is not. And can you tell the difference in 10 years time?
For this post I have taken the humble hamburger as the food meat representative for the plant-based meat discussion as it is something we can easily relate to.
Just to avoid confusion veggie burgers for this post are old world plant-based but not desire to emulate meat. Just a vegan patty substitute for a meat patty for those who prefer not to have meat.
So this post on plant-based-meat and hamburgers are on substitute meat, looking, tasting and feeling close to meat as possible. I will still touch on veggie burgers for better understanding later down this post.
The drive for meat looking substitute
Livestock production particularly cattle have a plentitude of issues and I do not use the word “plentitude” lightly. Environmental issues alone are major and eating meat at the levels that we do now requires medical intervention eventually for some. It is still intervention when you have to pop pills.
So something has to give. And that is meat. So the agenda is clear.
The humble hamburger and why we adore it
A decent and humble hamburger requires a sesame topped bun, a meat patty seasoned with salt and pepper, some lettuce, onions, dill pickle, mustard and a small dollop of ketchup.
There is no other comparable meal with meat in it that is affordable, appeals across all age groups and readily available nearly everywhere.
It is arguably a complete meal compared to sandwiches and other savoury snacks. And more importantly delicious in terms of taste and texture which is it’s biggest draw.
In view of its wide appeal it is no surprise that franchise chains like McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s led other food franchises to what they are now. The fastest growing and most successful food franchises with a wide distribution across the World. Burger stores as a result have become ubiquitous.
From basic to gourmet
Hamburgers can be done by anyone. It can be basic, big or small, more than one patty or laden with various other ingredients. These may include cheese, bacon, egg, cucumber, tomatoes and mushrooms and variety of sauces. Some other exotic ingredients are pineapple and pickled beetroot, the latter is common in Australia. The key however is the meat patty.
Gourmet hamburgers start with quality grade often lean ground meat and no longer just the trimmings of lower cut or off cut meat.
The usual gourmet burger blend is 100% lean meat mixed with fat from chuck meat using 80:20 ratio. It’s the fat that contributes to the taste if you are wondering. Reduce the fat ratio and the taste is gone. You would be better off picking an ordinary hamburger from a roadside vendor whose fat ratio is always higher and it is cheaper.
Gourmet burgers are also made fresh as opposed to frozen patties and the patty is not packed tightly.
The magic of hotel hamburgers
A slight but worthy side-topic. Hamburgers cooked in hotel premises require a special mention including those served as part of room service. They normally fall within the gourmet classification with fresh and good quality meat. The grilling tends to be right and the patties are large. They are also prepared by trained culinary cooks and chefs and not by short order cooks which is the case in many cafes and eateries.
I picked up enjoying hotel made burgers as better version of the hamburger when I began travelling for work years ago. Room service is a convenience when you have to do work back in the hotel. From convenience it turned to sampling good quality burgers as I began to appreciate the meat quality, preparation and the actual cooking. It was different. You could see the focus of hotel chefs were on the patty preparation and grilling and the toasting of buns. The focus on the patty and the bun is telling and that makes so much difference.
With staycations becoming a thing, room service burger sampling might be on the cards.
As you can tell, I love my meat and my hamburgers. So this battle for a substitute is going to be tough.
Our environment and science
Firstly plant-based meat and hamburgers is the just the start. I think we have come to a stage where there are enough scientific evidence to suggest that changes are required in the meat industry and not just burger meat.
Greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, valuable farmlands and scarce waters resources converted to support the animal feed and livestock production is serious. We do have to play out part. Those keen to find out more can google to find materials from reputable sources to understand the impact better. I now tend to read them sparingly as it can get depressing.
I have no idea if this is true – 25 kilograms of feed and 15,000 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of beef seems astonishing high. Australia for instance in 2017 had 72% of cereals grown that went to animal feed. I genuinely wonder which body monitors the planet to ensure valuable and limited resources are used for the right reasons.
I love my meat and my burgers but I can also moderate my meat intake and find alternatives that works. And the alternatives need not be mock meat or plant based-meat. I do realise though that it has be a conscious decision based on what I know now.
Do we wait?
Ignoring the environment and health impact leaves the planet in a state that the future generation will struggle with. I not even sure if the recent ravages of climate such as floods, fires, rising seawater levels from the thawing ice caps and glaciers are partly linked to livestock production. No one has suggested a credible alternative reasons for the adverse climatic changes.
The challenges to claims by scientists that it points to the livestock industry in the main has been either poor or non-existent. For a layperson like me, I guess I will take a gamble and go with the men and women of science.
Now for plant-based meat
Plant-based meat and hamburgers were a debate 10 years ago. No longer the case now. It’s now, when and how much. All the big chains have it starting with the stores in the US.
The notion of meat from plant when I first heard it sounded absurd. It also came across as unpalatable. The nail in the coffin was that it was to be grown in a lab. We are now in the realm of Frankenstein and positively abominable. Like time travel and the unicorn it fell away quickly.
The mind however slowly meandered towards mock meat that first surfaced in East Asian Buddhist cuisine which is strictly vegetarian decades ago. There was a sliver but not a ray of hope. I have tried it and it was decent but the mock meat was just one ingredient. The rest of the vegetarian dish which is typically noodle based is mouth watering delicious. Taking out the mock meat was not going to change the taste much. Though it provided texture, I doubt it added to the smell or the taste. It was also a small portion of the dish unlike a burger where the meat patty is everything.
10 years later and the change on what it was perceived first and what it ended up is amazing. I should have known when reputable identities and venture funds got on board quite early. California led the way. These guys ask the tough questions, weigh the probabilities, doing their sums before parting with their money. They do take a gamble but they also go into the mechanics and bring along scientific experts to determine possibilities. Calculated risk if you must.
Veggie Burgers vs plant-based meat burgers
So what exactly is it? I have already mentioned that the veggie burger is not it, though the term is applied to plant-based meat patties as well. Plant-based meat which aims to replicate meat in taste, look and texture are different and a category of its own. 2 different things. So you might want to do your research. Just have look at pictures of plant-based meats. Note even the NY Time article in the hyperlink uses the term veggie burgers interchangeably with plant-based meat.
For the meat aficionados, the veggie burger is not your thing. It is not the plant-based meat burger that you are aiming for. Veggie burger however are more affordable and still a healthy meal. But you can tell the difference clearly. You smell and taste plants. It does not look like meat. You cannot mistake it for meat. If you truly want a veggie meal, there are many veggie food from salads, pasta to noodles that are much better tasting than a veggie burger.
Plant-based meat besides replicating the feel and look of meat, have food nutrient types such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals etc. that similar in ratios to meat. So protein rich grains such as peas, soya and beans come into play. Beetroot for instance is the vegetable of choice for the meat colour red.
Target market
Importantly as the target market are the knowledgeable young and the health conscious lot, care is taken to avoid the usual categories of the known food evils. GMOs, hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol and synthetic additives and colourings are out. Though there is no industry standard yet to rely on for the finished product, I do expect one to appear soon as the plant-based meat pioneers have invested heavily in their products.
Literature and reviews suggest that Impossible Food is in the lead followed by Beyond Meat in the replicate meat category, at least taste wise.
Foreseeable future
Plant-based meat and hamburgers for the foreseeable future will see both plant-based and actual meat co-exist. My guess is that plant-based meat will continue to fall in price as they become more available with new entrants, new varieties and larger manufacturing capacity.
Actual meat price will slowly rise as restrictions and deterrent environment related tariffs start to kick in, similar to cigarette tariffs. Demand will also likely drop for actual meat as price increases make it more a weekly proposition rather than a nearly daily affair for meals.
The younger generation and health conscious will make the biggest change by either reducing meat consumption or avoiding it altogether. I am not even including vegans in the equation. I am also guessing vegetables with close to similar texture such as mushrooms will come to the fore. Try button and shitake mushrooms in your dishes and you will know what I mean.
My guess is plant-based meat is unlikely to replace the meat meant for steaks or barbecues. It will be a big ask for science and scientists to replicate it to what we know as meat. So I guess the plant-based meat and hamburgers will be a continuing story.