What is vegan cheese?
Veganism in italy
In 2021 the number of vegans in Italy hit an all-time high. 2.6% of Italians have chosen a vegan lifestyle.
First, let’s clarify what “vegan” actually means. Vegans are people who consciously choose to remove all products coming from animals (meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey) from their diet. This choice is motivated by more than just their respect for animals. They also want to pursue a healthier lifestyle and choose food quality over quantity.
Inevitably, adopting this philosophy means more than just excluding some food products from your diet. It also affects other daily lifestyle choices, i.e. showing respect for the environment through your choice of clothing, cosmetics, cruelty-free cleaning products and so on.
Of course, we are not talking about large numbers of people. Though, it is easy to see how this movement is steadily gaining momentum. According to Eurispes data, in 2015 only 0.2% of Italians were vegan whereas today that number has gone up to 2.6%.
These numbers are further buttressed if you look at the jump in plant-based products. The number of VEGANOK certified products grew by 3.1% in just 6 months from 14,000 in March 2020 to 14,447 in September 2020.
In fact, the food market offers a broad range of “vegan” products: from tofu (also called “vegan cheese”, even though it doesn’t taste anything like cheese) to seitan, a meat substitute made from wheat gluten.
Vegan cheese: what it is and how it is made
More and more vegan food products are making their way onto the market, and there are some excellent dairy-free (lactose-free) cheeses available made with nuts like almonds, walnuts and cashews.
Who of you happens to know how vegan cheese is made?
Let’s take a look at the process of making good vegan cheese.
Once the nuts have been weighed, they are put in boiling water for one minute then immediately drained. Next, they are all blended together adding a little water to obtain a thick paste.
After this, the mixture is poured into molds and left to sit overnight at room temperature covered by cheesecloth. The next day the cheese molds are placed inside glass containers and left to age in the fridge for about 14 days, remembering to turn them every 3 days.
This plant-based cheese made with aged nut paste is packed with calories and protein. In fact, it is an excellent addition to a “vegan” diet and perfect for people who are lactose intolerant.
The result is truly mouth-watering. Vegan cheese produced by Fattoria Triboli will be available for purchase starting in September 2021. The taste is very similar to dairy-based cheese… A true discovery for vegan enthusiast.
However, vegan cheese is more than just a great tasting product. It is also environmentally sustainable. Many consumers are unaware of the environmental impact of intense diary production. Oxford University published a study called “Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers” where they look at how sustainable it is to produce dairy products compared to dairy-free products. The study shows how gas emissions (especially CO2), soil use (in square meters) and water consumption are lower in diary-free milk production.
… So, did you know how vegan cheese is made and what the positive aspects of it are?
Let us know what you think in the comments.