NOT A MOCK(ERY) OF THE ORIGINALS
From grilled mock duck to mock kathi roll, chefs are using meat substitutes to create dishes that are quite close to the real thing. High in protein and low in trans fats, they are a hit with health conscious
One food trend that has intrigued vegetarians, non-vegetarians and vegans alike is faux meat or mock meat. With an increased awareness around eating green, mock meats have come as a viable alternative to animal meats, specially in the pandemic when health concerns became top priority. Faux or mock meats are plant-based meats derived from plants such as soy, peas, lentils, and jackfruit. “They are similar in texture, taste and chemical characteristics to original meat, and are a viable substitute to the animal product. It is lower in fat content and has no animal fat,” says chef Anas Qureshi of Molecule.
The curiosity around mock meats is building as the world is ushering in new trends of sustainability. It remains one of the mostwidely searched terms on the internet, catching the fancy of food writers and bloggers. Since the pandemic broke in 2020, the market has grown exponentially, and the global animal meat substitutes industry is estimated to grow to $23.2 billion by 2024 as per reports by Euromonitor, an independent market research organisation.
As the sale of chicken and duck dishes plummets due to the bird flu scare, one could only expect restaurants to add more innovative mock meat dishes into their menu. Chef Abhinav Sharma of Sutra Gastropub has introduced dishes such as spicy mock duck salad, mock salmon balls, grilled mock duck with beans and coriander emulsion and more.
Derived from plants, mock meat is similar in texture, taste and chemical characteristics. “It’s a viable substitute to the animal product,” points Quershi, adding, “being lower in fat content, it gets the nod of health and fitness lovers.