Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Substitutes changing appetite for pork
Pork is essential for Chinese dishes. It
could be steamed, fried, pan-fried, or stuffed in dumplings and meatballs, not
only for the taste but also for the texture and juice. However, the price of
pork has been rising this year because of the spread of the swine flu and influence
of the US-China trade war, which raised the price of soybeans, essential feedstock
for pigs.
In the meanwhile, there is a growing demand for
healthy yet still tasty meat alternatives among Chinese middle-class population
who are becoming more cautious about their health and the environment. Now,
just as US restaurants and consumers are accepting beef substitute to their
menus, Chinese people have started craving for plant-based pork substitute. Omnipork
is one such example. It is made from soy, peas, shiitake mushrooms and rice
protein, and mimics the taste, feels, texture and color of real pork. It also offers
nutritious benefits, lower in saturated fat and calories but higher in calcium
and iron per gram compared with real meat.
Now the price of such meat substitute declines
as production expands while the price of the most popular meat, pork, surges, it
is time for pork lovers to try animal-free meat products.
After all, food itself is innovative. Homo sapiens
today eats very differently from their ancestors in a few millenniums,
centuries or even decades ago. Why not?
Enjoy reading and learn about this emerging change
in food cultures.
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