Fellow veggies and vegans please help =(?

Question

Hi, I've been a vegetarian for three months now and yesterday I bought Boce mock "meat" burgers for the first time. I just ate one and it tastes amazing, just like a real Burger!!! How do they make them taste so much like real burgers??? After I was done I actually felt like I ate real meat =( can anyone help me get through these thoughts like by telling me what goes into these meatless burgers to help me get off the thinking like I ate real meat!!!
-Thanks!!

Please feel free to add your own favorite mock meat brands!! =)

Answer 1

Lol, I know the feeling.
The first time I tried some vegan sesame nuggets (they were a deli item) I took a bite, chewed it twice and spit it out in my hand because it freaked me out so badly. Gross, I know.
:)

Veggie tart is right about the seasonings. How often do people eat plain, baked flesh with no seasonings, sauces, breading or toppings? Not very often. You like the things you add to the meat as well as the fat.

But don't worry about the similarities of the meat. I don't believe in killing or eating animals. I have no moral issues with the particular flavor foods.

Anyway, here is a list of some of the veggie meats I have enjoyed over the years.
:)

* YVES- has the very best ground "beef"... the other brands have no flavor and tend to be grainy or mushy
----- I like to use this to make garlic pasta with olive oil sauce and tacos. Bocca isn't bad for spaghetti

* Bocca Chick Patties- I don't know why, they just taste like a good, generic chick patty :)

* YVES also has the best burgers

*Amy's has a good California burger, but is meant to be a veggie tasting burger, not meaty tasting. :)

* Garden Burger- has a good "All American Burger" Bocca's vegan burgers are not bad
----- When making burgers, I cook them using onion powder, garlic salt and crushed black pepper... this makes them taste burger-y

* Morning Star Farms- has great chicken and beef strips. These are excellent for Chinese dishes
Those are the main ones I can think of at the moment.

* I also like fake bologna YVES or Tofurkey

* Yves also has good sausage patties.
Gimmie Lean has some good ones too. The key to making good fake sausage is to use rosemary and cook them in oil.
______________________________...

Those were all vegan. Some good vegetarian fake meats are

* Most anything by Morning Star Farms.
--- I remember they have good sausage patties, mini corn dogs, chicken nuggets and buffalo wings. Their bacon is ok, but nothing to do a dance over.
:)

A lot of people like the brand Quorn, but I discovered them after I stopped eating eggs, so I can't give a real opinion about them.

Answer 2

I can answer only part of your question since I don't really understand why the burgers are so flavorful. The way you think will change with time, it takes a awhile to stop making comparisons and just enjoy a meatless diet for what it is. I've not been a vegetarian long myself but I am thoroughly enjoying it and so glad I made the change.

Edit: Good point Spirit Princess.

Answer 3

I've had different soy burgers before usually they are made with various cooked lentils, bean sprouts, portobello mushrooms etc. and then shaped into patties.

Might I suggest if you haven't tried it yet: a portobello mushroom burger! It's easy and delicious. All you need is a portobello mushroom cap. Sautee in some soy butter and garlic until it becomes soft and blackened. Put it atop a lettuce leaf on top of some toasted buns and add thinly sliced red onions, sprouts, and a slice of pepper-jack for the non-vegans.

This burger tastes BETTER than meat in my opinion and I'm not even vegetarian!

Answer 4

You know what gives meat its flavor? The seasonings. Boca and other companies that make mock meats just use a clever use of seasonings to mimic the seasonings commonly used on meat. They also have a way of cleverly texturizing the vegetable protein so it has a similar "mouth-feel"

Most people put ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. on their burgers and barely notice the taste of the burger, except as it relates to the toppings. Depending on what toppings you put on your Boca burger, it's probably the same sitaution.

Answer 5

You ate protein from plants, made to look and taste like meat.
Meat is nothing special, it's just cruel. Things have a certain taste and texture because of their chemistry. It's easy to create an analog of something if you know what it is made up of, such as __%protein, __%fat, __%sodium, etc, etc. The plant kingdom is so diverse, it can be very easy to make up the rest of the flavor with natural smoke flavors and other tastes that are associated with meat.

http://www.bayvegexpress.com
This place even sells vegetarian sea cucumber and beef tendon, just to name a couple.

Answer 6

Veggie burgers are made with soy. It's mostly the texturing of that soy that makes them taste like the real thing.

Answer 7

Be careful. Some of the boca burgers have eggs and dairy in them. Read the labels!

Answer 8

well i am totally a veggie, too. the boca burgers are TOTALLY fine! i know that at first it seems weird and they really do totally taste pretty good! so, like, i would TOTALLY reccomend just letting it go. it TOTALLY works! but, i like TOTALLY know that when you have not exactly totally been a veggie your whole entire life, that you're TOTALLY used to eating meat (sort of... whateva) anyway... like, i understand that it would totally taste good because you have totally had that meaty ness stuff before so it is TOTALLY norm to be like your being right now! just TOTALLY dont worry about it!

Answer 9

I thought those tasted really weird. Amy's are much better (and better for you...all organic). You can actually taste the vegetables instead of that weird old sponge taste.

Answer 10

Boca= Kraft. To hell with them.