THE SUNDAY COOK Guess what this egg-free meringue is made with... XANTHE CLAY

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It’s the latest addition to the Scrabble dictionary. But while aquafaba, from the Latin for “bean water”, sounds like an ancient ingredient used for millennia, it’s actually a hip egg-replacer that came to light only recently.

Chefs had been playing around with using the liquid from cooking vegetables and pulses for some years, but the breakthrough seems to have been in 2015. American software engineer Goose Wohlt, building on work already done by French cooks, found that it was as simple as draining a tin of beans and whisking the liquid (yes, the bit we usually throw away) to make a meringue-like froth. That froth can be beaten up with sugar and baked to make meringues so close to egg meringues you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference.

The vegan community, unsurprisingly, was the first to take up aquafaba, but now we’re all about to go crazy for it, according to the latest Waitrose food trends report.

People who are intolerant to eggs (more common than you might think) love it, and it’s cheaper than eggs, too. Don’t imagine that you are getting the protein of eggs though – this is about the mechanics, not the nutrition, and while an egg will give you 6g of protein, the amount in aquafaba is negligible.

Aquafaba isn’t just for meringues. The same proteins, sugars and starches that have been absorbed into the cooking water, giving it that slightly gloopy quality, also work as an emulsifier, meaning that aquafaba can replace egg yolks in mayonnaise.

It can also be whisked to take the place of whole eggs in cakes, although as the foam can collapse once fat is added, Chantelle Nicholson of the London restaurant Tredwells – which runs a vegan menu alongside a meaty version – recommends adding a stabiliser, generally xanthan gum (available in supermarkets and health food stores). She uses aquafaba for cakes, fluffy ice creams and even a chocolate fondant, and says, “I’m blown away by how good it is.”

The viscosity of aquafaba makes it perfect for those frothy cocktails like whisky sours. Chris Mcgovern (who provided the pisco sour recipe, right), of London’s Book Club bar, is a fan. “It’s slightly lighter in texture than egg white,” he says, “and therefore takes on the other aromatic flavours of the ingredients it’s shaken with, resulting in a delicious foam.”

It’s easy to use, too, he adds. “Simply add it straight to the cocktail shaker with your other ingredients and shake well to ‘whisk’ the air in and thicken the liquid.”

An omelette without breaking eggs? Not quite. But I’ll settle for a great drink and dessert.