Minimizing the amount of meat you consume is good for the environment, good for animals, and good for your body. But fighting those meaty cravings can prove difficult. Luckily, there is an ever-growing number of vegetarian meat alternatives to choose from. These replacements are meat-free, and you’ll know that as soon as you take a bite! Here are some un-meats that taste exactly like what they are – not meat!
Jackfruit Pulled Pork
If giving up the sweet and tangy flavor of barbecue pulled pork is more than you can bear, then you’re in luck. Jackfruit, a rough-skinned fruit in the fig family, is a common vegetarian replacement for pulled pork due to the fruit’s unusual meaty consistency. Cover that stringy jackfruit in BBQ sauce, throw it on a bun, and soon you’ll be saying, “Wow! This tastes exactly like fruit from a tree that also has BBQ sauce on it!” It sure does, because that’s what it is.
Tempeh
Tempeh, made from fermented soybeans, has a grainier texture than its more commonly known cousin, tofu, and can be used as an alternative to any kind of meat. You probably don’t know what fermented soybeans taste like, but one bite of tempeh bacon will have you thinking, “Oh, they taste like that and nothing like actual meat whatsoever.” Yum! Your taste buds are smart.
Mushrooms
You might be thinking, “Come on! Mushrooms are just a commonly eaten ingredient, why would that be considered a meat alternative?” Well sorry, but it is! If you’re craving a juicy hamburger, pause, take a deep breath, and eat a huge mushroom instead. You can put cheese, pickles, and ketchup on that thing. All your toppings will remind you of eating a hamburger, while the portobello fungus beneath them that tastes exactly like what it is will remind you that you are not!
Literally Nothing
If finding a suitable meat alternative feels like too much effort, just skip the whole ordeal and eat nothing at all! Get familiar with the taste of the inside of your mouth. Nothing is as much meat as mushrooms are meat so put nothing in your mouth and enjoy!
These are just a few examples of the many, many meat alternatives available to you today. Really any food is a meat alternative if you say it is. So get hungry, because there’s a lot of soy protein in your future, and it tastes like exactly what it is!
