By now, plant-based meat and milk alternatives are so common as to be unremarkable, but the same can’t be said for the third pillar of vegan faux-food engineering: cheese. Much of that, as Sam Colbert explains, has to do with how casein works; it simply melts and stretches in a way that resists emulation. That doesn’t stop food scientists from trying, though, and Colbert tours the labs (and cautionary tales) of some of those companies trying to create the first viable mozza-really?.
Soon they had something to show for their efforts: Climax Blue, an imitation wheel of blue cheese. It looked impressive: ripples of mould ran through a creamy base of blended seeds, beans and coconut cream. Zahn spent more and more time on the road, showing off Climax Blue, while his team worked back at the lab in Berkeley. He appeared at food expos and met star chefs, promising “zero-compromise” vegan alternatives. At one point, he flew to London for a private tasting with Paul McCartney, who became an investor. Zahn sent me a photo of himself grinning and grasping hands with the former Beatle next to a table strewn with cheese samples. Zahn loved watching the delight of people who tried his cheese for the first time. “I wish you could have filmed their faces,” he told me.
More stories about animal-free eating
The Vegan Food Wars of DC
“A crew of innovator chefs and entrepreneurs have turned Washington into a hub of plant-forward dining. But they have all kinds of competing ideas about what meat-free fare should be.”
A Homecoming
“The imagery of veganism propagated by the wellness industry erases the long — and often radical — history of plant-based diets in the Black diaspora.”
Where Are All the Vegetarian TV Shows?
Plant-based tropes are everywhere — from almond-milk lattes to avocado-toast jokes — yet the Food Network remains a “burgers, beer, and bacon” destination.
