Mycoprotein at MycoBabble

Tired of all those supplemental foods that are described as "tasting like chicken"? Tired of knowing exactly what it is that you're eating? Then you are a candidate for mycoprotein. Note, that's not microprotein... no, we're talking mycoprotein.

Actually I'm quite late to this party. Mycoprotein has been around in some form since the early 80's. I've only just become aware of it, probably because they moved it closer to the Haagen-Dazs in the freezer aisle. Meatless and soy-free, I chose the Cranberry & Goat Cheese Chik'n Cutlets. Hey, wait a minute... how can it be meatless and a chicken cutlet? Oh wait... I'm sorry... it's a chick'n cutlet. That missing e makes all the difference. So exactly what is mycoprotein? Well it's not exactly a mushroom. It's a fungus. We know that all mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms. So it's a special fungi. Actually it's "the processed cellular mass that is obtained from the filamentous fungus Fusarium venenatum strain PTA-2684," according to this Wired article from 2002. Okay, okay, like I said, I was a little late on this one.

Other offerings from Quorn include: Chik'n Nuggets and Turk'y Roast. I have to admit my mouth is wat'ring just thinking about th'm.

So what do they taste like? I think you can guess. I don't see what the drawback would be to just calling them fungus patties. I think our society has come around on this whole fungus thing and is a lot more welcoming to our filamentous friends.