Bizarre: this fake meat is almost indistinguishable from real meat (and comes from a printer?!)
We’ve been hearing it for years: we need to start eating more plant-based food. Personally, I have absolutely no problem with that—there are plenty of delicious alternatives, and when specially prepared, a pulled jackfruit rendang can genuinely rival the real deal as far as I’m concerned. But what if you’re really craving a juicy steak or lamb chop? Just turn on the printer.
Yes, you read that right. Meat 2.0: a steak from the printer. The Israeli company Redefine Meat has invested endless amounts of time in delving into the tiniest details of meat and understanding which interactions take place. Based on this, hypermodern printers are now used to build fake meat layer by layer from fake muscle, fake fat and fake blood made from soy, chickpeas and flavorings. This is how a T-bone or entrecôte is reconstructed fiber by fiber, until it is indistinguishable from the real thing.
Top chefs love it
It even seems so authentic that this ‘culinary fake meat’ is winning over top chefs, such as the wildly enthusiastic British chef Marco Pierre White: “When I first tasted Redefine Meat, I was absolutely stunned. The world needs to eat less meat, but the reality is that plant-based meat products have so far fallen far short in terms of the quality and versatility required for our menus. The New-Meat products offer all the sustainability and health benefits of plant-based meat, without compromising on flavor and texture.”
Our own top chef Ron Blaauw shares his enthusiasm: “To be honest, I was incredibly surprised by the texture and structure of the meat. The first time I tried it, I remember closing my eyes and appreciating the chew and mouthfeel as I would with a large piece of ‘normal’ meat. For me, this is a ‘game changer’, because we can now serve our customers a different variety of quality meat that just happens to be made from plant-based ingredients. Even now, my head is still spinning with all the possibilities this meat offers for our menu.” Redefine Meat’s products are therefore served at his restaurant. Refine Meat is also on the menu at NENI (home to the best falafel in Amsterdam!).
A genuine meat experience
Extremely curious about this holy grail, I recently tasted several dishes at Ron’s Gastrobar in Amsterdam, including a ‘Lamb’ Wellington and Redefine Beef with pan de cristal. And it has to be said: I was blown away by the texture and the cuisson (the doneness seemed exactly like real meat!) It has the bite of meat, the juiciness of meat and, bizarrely, it is even bloody. It’s especially delicious when fried or grilled with a crispy crust, like meat straight off the barbecue—and with this fake meat, you can even see the juices running out, crazy! The entire mouthfeel, from what you taste to the chewing; I’ve tried many meat substitutes, but this really comes closest to a ‘meat experience’ (sorry for that terrible expression).
-
- ‘Lamb’ Wellington
-
- Dit is niet van echt vlees te onderscheiden!
-
- Lekker en net echt: Redefine Beef met pan de cristal
The whole cow
Redefine Meat’s goal is to become the world’s largest meat company by offering a plant-based alternative for every cut of beef. The range already includes flank cuts of beef and lamb, minced beef, sausages, burgers and lamb kebabs. Curious? Head to Ron Blaauw!
Image: Redefine Meat
