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For many, cheese is the final frontier, that last barrier between them and veganism.
And when you look into cheese – you can see why – as some experts explain, it is quite literally addictive.
But it’s getting easier and easier to find alternatives to this dairy-based product – and as UK media giant The Independent recently reported – these alternatives are getting good.
Fermentation
According to writer Kristen Hartke: “For decades, vegan cheese has had a bad rap. It was well deserved.
“Rubbery and often with an aftertaste compared to pencil erasers or Play-Doh, the plant-based varieties just did not stand up to the real thing.
“Now, a new generation of vegan chefs and food entrepreneurs has figured out what was missing: fermentation.”
Non-vegans
According to the writer, many of those looking for delicious alternatives to dairy cheese are not vegan, but lactose intolerant – ‘a huge portion of humanity – 65 percent – cannot digest dairy products’.
The article quotes Doron Petersan, a vegan chef and restaurateur based in Washington DC, as saying: “So, when you think about it on that level, it doesn’t make sense to use animal products to create cheese.
“The problem is that cheese is so freakin’ delicious, everybody wants to eat it.”
Changes
And artisan vegan cheese makers are getting closer and closer to achieving this, using an innovative approach of fermentation, ingredients like miso and nuts, and experimentation.
Doron Petersan says: “You can make a plant-based product that’s almost identical to a dairy-based cheese using the same process because it’s not about the dairy.
“It’s more about the science and processes behind it.”
READ MORE:
Vegan Giant Follow Your Heart To Launch Three Products In Sainsbury’s
Excitement Mounts Over Retail Giant Tesco’s Executive Director Of Plant Based Innovation
