Mock-Meat for mock-carnivores?

Are many vegetarians simply ‘flexitarian’ would-be carnivores who just want meat-flavoured non-meat? This assumption is natural in meat-centric cultures now stricken by the health bug. And that conundrum is probably what has fired the world’s largest burger brand to test its new vegan burger in Sweden, one-tenth of whose population is vegetarian. The meat-like patty with real umami flavour has apparently brought fitness-conscious former carnivores back to the burger counter in Sweden, though healthy fast food is an oxymoron.

A ‘bleeding’ mock-meat burger using yeast leghemoglobin, created by a Silicon Valley startup, is also making waves in the US. With rising concerns about the prevalence of antibiotics in livestock and poultry, this meat-that’s-not-meat — nor lab-grown frankenfibre — could, indeed, be the magic solution for the food business.

The real test, of course, is the Indian market, which has seen the international hamburger vendors capitulate and stuff potato patties in buns in deference to tastes here. Even the carnivorous Chinese, who have made an art out of crafting plantbased foods into mock-meats, have not turned Indian herbivores into mock-carnivores with their creations. That could also be why burger companies have not thought of asking India for its verdict on meat-like, juicy red vegan burger patties