Students create a vegan bitterbal that is unbelievably delicious (and makes the world a little better)
The bitterbal is, if you ask me, our very best export product – in fact: the bitterbal has been recognized as intangible cultural heritage of the Netherlands. A bitterbal simply makes life a little more fun. So it makes sense that the crispy ball has its own holiday. Obviously, a bitterbal doesn’t fit into the diet of people who want to eat healthily or ‘more consciously’. Although with these balls, the latter may be a step in the right direction.
Vegan bitterballen have been available for years. Unfortunately, until now I was never really enthusiastic about them. I always felt something was missing. Until I tried Cas & Kas’s balls: for the first time, I genuinely didn’t realize there was no meat in them.
Cas and Kas(per)
Kasper and Cas are two friends from university. At Erasmus University, they came up with the plan to start a business together. ‘We wanted to go into business together, and we thought it would be great to do something that could make a positive contribution to the world.’cLike most students, they spent quite a few hours in the pub. And yes, during those visits, the brown fruit platter often appeared on the table too. And so the idea for a vegan bitterbal was born.
Responsible choice
‘MPeople want to enjoy life, but are also increasingly making responsible choices. We wanted to develop a bitterbal that tastes just the way you’re used to, but is completely vegan.’
They then got to work making endless numbers of bitterballen in their student house. ‘We tried the craziest things, which we tested at Friday afternoon drinks. After many beers, glasses of wine and bitterballen, we arrived at a product we’re proud of: a vegan bitterbal with maximum flavor and a minimal food footprint.’
While other vegan bitterballen are made from beetroot, risotto, cheese, seaweed or mushrooms, Cas & Kas chose a base of wheat and margarine to replace meat and butter. They started in October 2019 under the name Project Bitterbal, and in 2020 they had their first version. Among other things, Cas & Kas’s vegan bitterballen also contain wild mushroom stock, coconut and agar-agar (a plant-based gelling agent made from algae).
The emissions of a bitterbal
As far as we’re concerned, these balls are genuinely delicious. They may even taste a little better when you know that, according to Cas & Kas, these balls emit approximately 90% less CO2 than the regular ball. With claims like these, as a producer you’re treading on thin ice, we think here at the FavorFlav editorial team. How did they arrive at that calculation?
They examined the environmental impact of all the ingredients in a bitterbal and compared it with that of their vegan variant. For example, they compared wheat with beef and margarine with butter. The production process is otherwise the same, and they are transported in the same trucks from wholesalers to the hospitality industry. More calculations may still be needed to determine how much CO2 the bitterbal actually produces, but we certainly believe in a reduction.
Food truck
By now, the vegan bitterballen (and croquettes) are available at 250 hospitality businesses throughout the Netherlands. You can find them in Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam, Dordrecht and Utrecht, among other places, as well as in Zeeland. They are also sold through hospitality wholesalers such as Hanos and Sligro, and are available in Blijdorp. Next year, you will find them at many festivals in their brand-new food truck.
Image: Cas & Kas
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