Jackfruit. For a while it was the 'go to' vegan option for places to offer; jackfruit smothered in awfully sweet BBQ sauce. The texture is softer than anything it's trying to mimic, It's messy, and flavourless.
Honestly, I in general don't really like when a meat is substituted for a food that is not a primarily protein source. Like replacing meat for cauliflower or jackfruit, as opposed to something with legumes or lentils
It creates really imbalanced meals that don't meet our dietary needs, and turns active people away from a plant-based diet. Vegetarian and vegan diets already have a reputation for being protein challenged, and this type of substitution hurts it further by substantiating those assumptions.
Why? You know you dont need more protein that what a variety of whole foods offers, right?
From a taste perspective, umami.
From a health perspective, eating more protein is really good for satiety and therefore weight loss. Personally, when I don't go out of my way to incorporate extra protein sources, I usually just don't feel satisfied and full. I understand and recognize that you literally don't need a ton of extra protein to be healthy, but I feel best when I have it.
So just use some MSG like salt
I swear some places that claim to have an extensive vegan-friendly menu are just obsessed with bell peppers. Bell peppers stuffed with this, bell peppers added to that. Give me ONE item without the accursed things, I beg of you!
I like bell peppers, but before veganism became more mainstream where I am a few years back, the lazy veggie option in restaurants was bell pepper stuffed with couscous, and I grew to detest it.
Those increasingly popular substitutes mimicking meat as closely as possible. I don't want to second guess everything I eat and honestly, I don't think any of them are tasty. I liked things more when they did their own stuff.
Now, I know I'm not the target audience. They help other people to reduce their meat intake or even to switch completely and that is great and all, but I'm still sad about the good stuff disappearing.
That's fair, as someone who went vegan recently I quite enjoy a couple meat substitutes. I imagine someone who's been vegan for a while doesn't care for them much though.
I really like impossible ground beef and its derivatives (meatballs, burgers). This has been my main way of convincing my friends they could maybe go vegan, all but one of my really picky friends still enjoy these. But the vast majority of vegan imitation meats I don't care much for.
I do like a lot of meat alternatives, but I was at a restaurant a while back where they had a non-Beyond Meat veggie burger. And it was super good! I feel like it's becoming a lost art, though :(.
My dad is the opposite: he wants every restaurant to only offer Beyond Meat burgers. He loves them.
Where did l the bean burgers go? It used to be the go to veggie option for places serving burgers and some were delicious. Now it's all fake meat patties and halloumi.
Yes, I miss my bean burgers! There used to be a great black bean burger I could get around here, but it did disappear and I can't recreate it.
Meat, milk, cream substitutes everything perfectly fine. Plant based food in general, perfect.
Cheese......still my Armageddon the haptic, the taste doesn't fit my bodies expectation. Still have go for the real cheese product.
I think there are a few spots where vegan cheese works.
There's a couple simple parmesan cheese recipes that are pretty much just blended cashews, nooch, and seasonings that I enjoy on spaghetti. I'm sure it wouldn't fool anybody but it works like a charm for me.
I also think you can make queso dips pretty well, the main ingredient usually being blended cashews or blended potatoes and carrots.
Sorry for bringing up cashews again but you can also make a really good cashew ricotta that's a good spread on crackers.
I tend not to enjoy the imitation cheeses. I prefer just going all in on the nuts and enjoying the final product as it's own unique item.
Same, but I occasionally do find nice ones, especially soft/fresh types
I never thought in my life that I would have opinions about vegan cheese, but, oh boy, do I. So many choices, and I think that’s great. But, they are all jam-packed with coconut oil, which tastes just awful to me and gives my stomach the turns.
At the time I had to make the switch, Miyoko’s did a cashew-based sliced cheese—without a hint of coconut oil—that I thought was amazing. But, they ditched that product because it wasn’t ’up to their standards’(?) Every time I go by the non-dairy cheese section and see a new product, I get a brief glimmer of hope it’ll be some similar product, and that I can finally have cheese without worry again.
The vegan ice creams whose #1 ingredient is water, not fat.
And, in general, this trend where companies confuse veganism with "I'm on a diet looking for low calorie options" or "gluten free"
Vegan canned tuna. I was never a big fan of tuna, so the new vegan tuna canas are so close to the real thing that it's off putting. Honestly wish I liked it because they are getting fairly cheap and I remember it being a convenient food to have in the pantry. But ugh...
In terms of veggies there's no a lot I won't eat... But okra makes me literally gag
Tempeh, I've tried it several times in several variations but haven't liked any so far.
Hummus!
Don't get me wrong, I love a good hummus and regularly make it myself. BUT! So many places that have one or two vegan options just offer _____ hummus. Sandwich with veggies and hummus, hummus salad bowl, hummus over rice and grilled veggies.
I just can't see it anymore. Usually the hummus is not even that good ...
Why is hummus the only thing those restaurants can think of when creating a vegan meal?
I feel like that's a common trend with vegan food. Take a delicious food item and overuse it until it's almost disgusting. I love hummus but I can imagine if I ate it all the time I would get sick of it. I'm like that a little bit with mushrooms, I love mushrooms but eating a ton of them makes them gross for me.
I think something sorta unique about hummus that makes it really popular is that it's a vegan protein source that is served cold and can surprisingly substitute meat and cheese well. Like you mentioned about sandwiches, you can take out the deli meat and cheese and replace it with hummus and it still tastes delicious. Most vegan protein sources are cooked and served warm, or don't taste well with garden vegetables (like peanut butter).
D:
I can't get into fresh tomatoes. I try often.
Canned tomatoes have a longer shelf life anyway.
Imagine having a shelf life - that must be boring or scary like Arrietty's.
Salad with lettuce
The two vegan foods I hate with every fiber of my being:
parsnips
durian
I'm not aware of anything else
I've never tried a durian but it's kind of tempting, bucket list item for sure. What do you hate about it?
I hated everything about it lol
Having to wear gloves to open it
The smell and taste of sweaty socks filled with vanilla custard laced with garlic
The confusing texture
I guess I'd recommend it for the experience. It's certainly unique!
I tried durian ice cream once and decided I never need to try durian for real
Smell and taste of sweaty socks and garlic is completely accurate from what I remember
Smells like a corpse, but tastes like pudding. 😂
What's wrong with parsnips?
To me, they taste like the flavor of carrots multiplied x1000
It would be a nice flavor if it weren't so intense
For the ones not liking cheese alternatives: have you tried vegan feta cheese? I personally love it.
Cheese spread is also really good! Actually better than the original to be honest, at least the cashew ones.
Vegan cheese is only abysmal if you're going for anything melted or crispy.
Never had a cashew milk cheese that I didn't like
Grilled vegetables. They can be good but they usually aren't, they're not very filling, and they're a very common consolation prize for me while other people eat the real meal.
Lettuce. Why do so many people think that a salad should be made of flavorless leaves and vinegar? If I make a salad, it has tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, olive oil, and a little salt - no lettuce and no "salad dressing".
Weird grains that all taste like undercooked brown rice. I don't care how ancient they are or how much fiber they have. (The major exception: buckwheat. It's amazing and why doesn't everyone eat it?)
I've never been all that fond of falafel. I feel like I would like it in theory but when I eat it it's just, meh.
:O
Jk, I love when I make them myself, but in many places they're just dry as hell...
There's dozens of different falafel styles and all of them claim to be original. Lebanon Syria, Greece, turkey, and others each make a different falafel. I've had amazing crunchy falafel sandwiches and others that tasted like stale bread inside another bread.
Within 200m I had falafel from two different places. One tasted like woodshavings and paper towels (I kinda suspect a paper towel really did get in there, it's usually just wood shavings), the other one was Lebanese, and it was the tastiest, most amazing falafel I've had in my life. Homemade is great, supermarket is ok when I want a quick wrap but kinda meh.
I think I'm very okay with admitting that I probably just haven't had good falafel yet. But I'll make more effort to do so based on everyone's comments!
I recommend a trip to Palestine.
Freshness is important. Fresh falafel straight out of the fryer in a sandwich with all the fixings is a very nice meal imo :P
Daiya cheese, coconut-based ice creams for non-coconut flavours, stuff like Impossible burger that pretty realistically simulate meat (I'm old veg, I think they're really valuable products to have available for new veg or anyone else)
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Welcome to c/vegan@lemmy.world. Broadly, this community is a place to discuss veganism. Discussion on intersectional topics related to the animal rights movement are also encouraged.
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