Meatless ‘Italian Beef’

[Mike Nolan]

Buona Beef, one of the chains in Chicago that features Italian Beef, has come out with a meatless version of it, using seitan, a wheat-gluten product.

It got a reasonable review from the Trib, they said it was better than several of the bland Italian Beef places they've visited. A little too salty and with too much oregano, but those aren't serious flaws.

Don't know if this link will work, and I'm dropping my Trib subscription at the end of the month because the price is tripling, but here goes:

Meatless Italian Beef

There's a place in downtown Lincoln that is doing Italian Beef now, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. (I so seldom get to downtown anymore, especially since the Lied Center theatre productions got cancelled due to COVID-19.)

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[Joan Simpson]

I have no plans of trying fake beef.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I asked my brothers about this and they just responded "why?"

Mike - did you see the "Battle of the Joshes"?

[Mike Nolan]

I saw the stories about the battle of the Joshes, before and after, sounds like they had fun. They're already talking about doing it again next year.

As to the meatless Italian Beef, there is a certain amount of technical challenge to a food chemist in producing something that looks, feels and tastes like something else. Seitan (processed wheat gluten) is something that's been around for a while, like bean paste and tofu.

The lab-grown beef is, well, just strange. I'm not convinced it is more planet-friendly than a field full of methane-producing cattle, though. But if they can grow a ribeye steak, someday they may be able to grow a replacement kidney, liver or heart.

[Janiebakes]

"But if they can grow a ribeye steak, someday they may be able to grow a replacement kidney, liver or heart."

That is an excellent point and one that I had never thought of.

[cwcdesign]

Why don't they just start with trying to make replacement organs?

[Mike Nolan]

Did you start walking by running a marathon? Scientists call it 'standing on the shoulders of giants'.

[cwcdesign]

Good answer Mike - I’m not very patient sometimes

[RiversideLen]

Several years ago, I tried Beyond Burgers a few times. Put on a bun with the usual fixings and it was really pretty good. I would not mistake it for real beef but it was pretty good. I think they have changed, improved, the formula since I tried it. But considering the fat content and sodium, I'm not sure it has any advantages over real beef, except of course to the cow. And with real beef, I have control over the sodium content.

[aaronatthedoublef]

People have been 3D printing organs for a while. Not sure how successful it is has been for something more complex like a liver. It did work for things like heart valves. And people were cloning ears for a while but I don't think anyone has actually done that for ear replacement.

The FDA regulatory environment takes a long time to wade through. It is focused on safety not speed. But some of that is changing because sometimes, speed is better for safety.

[Mike Nolan]

My wife got a bovine valve in 2018, they said it should last 10-15 years and when they replace it they don't have to crack open her chest.

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