Grate Expectations: The Troubled Quest for Tasty Vegan Cheese
The quest for a viable vegan cheese alternative continues to challenge food scientists due to the unique properties of casein. Sam Colbert highlights the efforts of innovators like Zahn, who introduced Climax Blue, a plant-based imitation of blue cheese. Despite the difficulties, the excitement around these products is growing, with notable endorsements from figures like Paul McCartney.
- ▪Vegan cheese alternatives face challenges due to the unique melting properties of casein.
- ▪Sam Colbert showcases the efforts of innovators in creating plant-based cheese, including Climax Blue.
- ▪Climax Blue is made from blended seeds, beans, and coconut cream, and has garnered attention from chefs and investors.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
By now, plant-based meat and milk alternatives are so common as to be unremarkable, but the same can’t be said for the third pillar of vegan faux-food engineering: cheese. Much of that, as Sam Colbert explains, has to do with how casein works; it simply melts and stretches in a way that resists emulation. That doesn’t stop food scientists from trying, though, and Colbert tours the labs (and cautionary tales) of some of those companies trying to create the first viable mozza-really?. Soon they had something to show for their efforts: Climax Blue, an imitation wheel of blue cheese. It looked impressive: ripples of mould ran through a creamy base of blended seeds, beans and coconut cream.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Longreads.
