Tonight for dinner, I ate something I am ashamed to love. The food that grosses me out the most for being disturbingly fake and over-processed is not factory farmed chicken, or Little Debbie snack cakes, or McDonald's. It is Quorn. But God, is it good.
Quorn is frozen mycoprotein- basically, fungus grown in a lab and mixed with egg whites and natural caramel color. I'm disgusted by the concept, and if you have ANY mushroom allergies whatsoever you should not go near it. But it is, hands down, the best meat substitute I have ever tried. And I've tried them all. Tonight, I took their ground beef substitute, thawed it in the microwave, mixed it with some leftover pasta sauce and Kraft sprinkle cheese, heated, and poof- a meatloafish dinner. Quorn by itself is a little dry, but mixed into sauces is completely indistinguishable from beef. What I ate tonight would have been amazing over spaghetti or gnocchi.
I think I would be less freaked out by mycoprotein if it weren't quite so good for you. But no, it is incredibly low-calorie, and very high in fiber and protein. It's like a disturbingly engineered superfood from space. It also comes in different textures- I keep their fake grilled chicken patties in the freezer, too. They are a little dry (again, sauce is your friend), but the inner texture is exactly like chicken. I don't know how they do it. But I'm a little scared.
13 comments:
So good for you? Hmm. It's a mold, not a fungus (somewhat different)...so don't eat if you have mold allergies.
Also...(from: http://www.foodrevolution.org/askjohn/35.htm)
Actually, though, this is far from the case. Quorn, in fact, is a highly processed food made in giant laboratory vats from a fungus (Fusarium venenatum) which is a mold, not a mushroom. An expert on Fusarium fungus, David M. Geiser of the Pennsylvania State University Fusarium Research Center, told the FDA that calling the Fusarium fungus that is the basis of Quorn foods a mushroom is like “calling a rat a chicken because both are animals.”
A mycologist from Cornell University said that mushrooms are as distantly related to Quorn’s fungus as humans are to jellyfish.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is strongly opposed to Quorn, and has asked the FDA to halt the marketing of Quorn products and to require all Quorn foods to be recalled from market shelves. According to CSPI, quite a number of people have gotten sick after eating the product, typically vomiting several hours after eating the product.
This comes as no surprise to Dr. David A. Morowitz, Clinical Professor of Medicine (gastroenterology) at Georgetown University. “ The data argue compellingly,” he says, “that the mycoprotein derived from Fusarium venenatum is almost certainly gastrotoxic. The risk of its toxicity does not justify its continued use here in the United States.”
“On theoretical grounds alone,” adds Dr. John Santilli, a Bridgeport, Connecticut allergist, “the use of this mold in food is highly dubious. Intentionally increasing consumer exposure to mold through the food supply will only increase the risk of discomfort and adverse reactions in mold-sensitive consumers.”
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mmmm, yum, and not only that, the RNA in the mold randomly mutates! So if you like geneticly modified food, it modifies itself continuously and you can have a new genetically modified meal each time! How cool is that.
no douchebag, it is a fungus
Ever heard of blue cheese? People eat mold. Ever heard of athlete's foot? That's fungus, too. Both of you are being hard-headed. Not everything is black and white.
519From Wikipedia: The CSPI's claims were also described by Leslie Bonci, professor of nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh, as "overblown".[31] Steven Milloy, writing for the American Fox News channel, said "CSPI appears to have an unsavory relationship with Quorn competitor, Gardenburger" and called the CSPI's complaints "unscrupulous shrieking".[32] Gardenburger in turn denied this, saying Milloy's "unsavory relationship" claim was "untrue and groundless".[citation needed] Wendy Preiser, Gardenburger's vice president of marketing, supported the Gardenburger position on the grounds that the company was afraid that Quorn's labels would cause people to be suspicious about all meat-free products.[33]
Why not do a bit of proper research guys before believing any of the hype? I found that excerpt on the wiki page in less than 5 minutes of searching.
All in all, having eaten quorn for a couple of years I think it's an excellent substitute for meat.
To "Anonymous" who posted on Jan 18, 2013
You've finally figured it out - I wish everyone else did too :)
All these professors who've studied for oh-so many years (studied only the stuff that random people "discovered" earlier) aren't actually infallible.
Let's have a look at the *Theory* of Evolution next... Shall we find that the guy who started carbon dating later said it was useless?
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. And marketing people can quote science for theirs.
You do the same thing when you cite the dubious ethics of big business as a reason to impugn the integrity of genuine scientists.
As a lifelong vegetarian, and almost daily consumer of Quorn products, i can state with 100% conviction that it is utterly fantastic!
I really dont care how its produced.... Nor about a few Fatburger-eating Americans complaining that it made them ill (any healthy food would probably provoke the same reaction!)
Quorn rocks, and thats that.
I'd be far more concerned if i was a meat-eater these days, with all the toxic growth cr@p being forced down the gullets of Farmers livestock.
Now THERE'S something to be really concerned about.
I've been vegetarian for 23 years and have used Quorn since it first appeared on the market and have found the varieties of mycoprotein to be a great and nutritious replacement for mince,chicken etc.
Theoretically you can keep your cholesterol level to an healthy one without lowering your daily protein needs.
Compared with recent horse meat and other meat additives that have caused health worries in the papers I know what I'd rather have!
Steve
Well we all love it in the UK. Plenty of it to share around! It's not like it's Solyent Green is it? Better to eat something that doesn't involve dead flesh, dodgy meat additives and battery farming. Besides, it's a lot cheaper most of the time. I don't know of anyone in the UK having reactions from Quorn but I do know loads that have been poisoned by dodgy meat. Anyone for a McQuorn (tm?) burger?
Tried it for the first time tonight. I'm more than a little concerned. I read it as Fungus in Wikipedia and on their website. Searched for images. Looks are kind of gross actually when It's in Its natural state. A grey mass.
There is probably almost no natural flavor either in the egg whites or the "fungus" form. I'm not seeing the word mold anywhere. Some times I have had a sensitivity to candida, another fungus we all have in our gut to some extent. So, I will not replace my protein habits for Quorn. Yet, I might like eating more mushroom omelets.
Balance is key. Everything in moderation. I still enjoy fish and chicken. Yet, I do not require meat. (yes chicken and fish are meat) I was a vegetarian for 15 years happily. Now, I believe I am healthier with some meat. As a vegetarian, I consumed way more carbs and sweets because I was extremely active.
Candida is not a fungus..
Yeast is what you mean
Candida is not a fungus..
Yeast is what you mean
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