Not Impossible: China's Vegan Meat Culture Goes Back 1,000 Years
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2020
- Vegan meat is all the rage these days. Brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible all have their version of a fake beef patty. But did you know plant-based meat has been part of Chinese cuisine for over a thousand years?
We went to Lily's Vegan Pantry, which has been selling traditional Chinese mock meat for 25 years, to learn more about veganism in Chinese cuisine. We also talked to the founder of a Chinese company that specializes in faux pork products to understand how the Asian market differs from the West.
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Producer: Clarissa Wei
Videographer: Nathaniel Brown and Hanley Chu
Editor: Hanley Chu and Joel Roche
Animation: Ray Ngan
Mastering: Victor Peña
Music: Audio Network
I live in China, I became vegetarian 3 years ago and since then I've discovered so many meat alternatives in stores, farm markets and Taobao. It's pretty easy to cook vegetarian and vegan food in China, but it's hard to find options in restaurants, since the mayority of food is cook with pork lard and there are always traces of meat in vegetable dishes.
You can tell them to cook without
@@joyjoyoo you can't. Most restaurants won't change the recipe for you
是的，中国人讲究荤素搭配，比如很多蔬菜会用荤油来炒，会更香营养也更均衡，但对素食者来说就是个麻烦事
You should go join a buddhist chat group. They know where all the vegetarian restaurants are at. If you don't know, it will seem rare.
Not even steamed veggies and plain rice? That stinks. I don't eat out much since becoming vegan, but it's pretty easy in US.
We hardly ever see coverage on vegan ethnic foods and I’ve always been interested in reducing my meat intake. Going between my cultural flavors and wanting to consume less meat always felt almost impossible. Thank you for this video!!!
You should try looking up indian vegetarian foods as well if you'd like to increase your options. Many Hindus are vegetarian and spices add a lot to plant-based foods. The flavour palate is completely different from Chinese vegetarian which has a fresher, lighter feel. Both are great.
Now remember everyone it’s mostly American vegan or vegetarian food that sucks
Its true. Its so concerned with calorie restriction as if calories are a bad thing.
they cant cook vegan food either 😭 they cant even cook tempe (which is indonesian food not american) properly 😭 they even ate it raw 😭
@@monicapetitebonita218 nooo why. So many ways to cook tempe
@@fridanianoname4560 ikr?? so many ways and they chose to eat it raw. where is brain
Why is it so in to bash America? The US has been one of the biggest innovators in mock meats and veganism. Most countries don’t come close. Try eating Swedish “food” and get back to me
Love a good Chinese veggie restaurant!
The main thing is Chinese people have a 初一 十五 or 1st and 15th day of the month where they had to go vegetarian and carry out prayers. And so the vegetarian stalls can make money.
And honestly Vegetarian Char Siew and Vegetarian Goose is really nice in bee hoom
I have never heard of that and I don't know anybody who does it. I was born in china and lived there for 11 years before moving.
@@tony3.14 in Singapore all the Chinese people have been eating like this for god knows how long, who are you of an authority in some small dilapidated town
@@MrBoliao98 Just if you're Buddhist, I suppose. It's not very common in the rest of the Sinosphere.
@@PM_ME_MESSIAEN_PICS not true you outta do your research before assuming. 20% of the population is Christian
@@MrBoliao98 Your sweeping statement about all the Chinese people in Singapore is obviously false. And Christians obviously don't follow the vegetarian thing. So it only leaves a small part of the population eating vegetarian food on these days. I'm also trying to say that quite a lot of people in the Mainland are functionally atheist so they wouldn't also eat vegetarian.
@0:10 soy or mushroom. Gluten is the most important ingredient that was left out
The amount of vegan/vegetarian Asian restaurants is amazing. I live in the LA county & I’ve never had a bad experience!
I live in LA, do you have any recommendations? :)
@@Jenn-xf5st Happy Family. Find it on Yelp
I was never a fan of Chinese food when I wasn’t a vegan but I actually like it more as a vegan. I tried a new Chinese restaurant in a recent video and was pleasantly surprised by their food! I can’t say that the imitation meat tastes exactly the same as meat, but I thoroughly enjoy it!
Good for you for not liking Chinese food in the US. We people who grew up in China think Chinese restaurants in the US cook sh*t in term of taste. When I worked in Chinese restaurants, we cooked authentic food for ourselves separately. We didn't eat the sh*t we served customers.
The exception is there are authentic ones in metros like LA, NY, SF. It's hard to find them for people without having in their social circle other people who grew up in China.
been veg here since 76, wat I hav lernd abouthe science of our palette iz DiSLiKEing FOODS IZ NOT ALWAYZ AN OPINION buthe BiGFaT BUThe PLAiN SimpL fenomena CALD U DO NOT NEED IT SO UR BODY REJECTS IT.. once we STOP eating THELENT CALD FLESH\MEAT WE OPN OUR SELVES TO THE BIO PHYSICS OF OUR BODYS NEEDS TO EAT APPRECIATE WAT IZ TRU FOOD RATHR THAN THE HARD WRK OF ANUTHRS LiFE.. FLESH MEAT IZ NOT PROTOSE - PROTiEN.. it iz LiTeraLy EVRyThing DAT Life NEEDS\NEEDed ~> vitamins hormones minerals prOtose\protien EtC eTc etC etc Etc ETC eTc..
@@slomo4672 yEz, its been sedathe chEYEnez FOOD in USA iz an iNSULTO Chinese Authenticuisine..
@@werstillnotfreedamit8701 stop being edgy, it really is shit though, unless your favorite food is doritos, fast food burgers and fries then the flavor profile is definitely right well within your garbage taste profile
@@rzt430 I doNOThink ur R comprehending d point of wat I sed aboutaste.. IF ONE iZ FiLd withe eLements ones body iz needing IT WIL REGECThru Taste wat THE BODY TOOK THRU Junk\FastFoods yada yada XAMPL many doNOT Like nuts therefore the nut oat milks available now a days cuz all the FLesh Meeathey consume. Once they cut d or illuminate it THEY NJOY TASTE the Goodness Nuts Legumes hav to offer..
This channel has good videos. They should get more hits, but they need to figure out how to game the CZcams search algorithm like other channels with crappier videos.
if you live in the LA/ san gabriel area - the GO TO spot is Happy Family in monterey park, they have the best vegan chinese food
Reporter here! Yessss I grew up on that stuff. Happy Family is the OG. 🔥
Ok these videos are highly underrated for the work they provide.
You know the best part? It taste so good.
chinese vegan food is so much better they taste amazing i have it a lot when we visit our local chinese temple.
Chineee vegan food is firreeee
Interesting video, would love recipes of these traditional Chinese mock meats.
Some Indians (not me) also follow a non-allium diet for the same reason: to control desires. Re not eating meat. Back when I was a practicing Buddhist, I was already a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. My sifu / master said that meat is fine, but as a Buddhist, you should not have an animal killed specifically for you to eat. Buddha himself ate whatever was donated to him, though preferred a vegetarian diet
Actually 2 more rules on meat 🍖: you didn't see and hear the slaughtering of animal whose meat is donated to you. Together with what you said, it's called 3 clean meats. This rule was set by Buddha himself, not added later by someone else.
@@slomo4672 Yes, thanks for expanding on the rules. They're maybe not as well-known as other principles of Buddhism
Great episode full of information and insight.
Great stuff, keep up the good work!
I remember visiting a Buddhist temple when I was younger with my grandmother. Food was delicious....Before I broke out with a rash. One heck of a place to learn you're allergic to non fermented soy. Luckily it wasn't severe.
Curious it iz TOFU AT TIMES IZ NOT DIGESTIBLE JUST BECAUSE HOW IT IZ PREPARED CREATED MADE COOKd NOT SPROUTED or From NonFermented Soyep..
It's not just made out of soy or mushrooms, a lot of Chinese mock meats are made of gluten, and that's usually what gives the best chewy texture
The meat industry has become totally unsustainable in addition to animal cruelty issues;methane greenhouse gases, low productivity , and recent infection related incidents;therefore, vegan meat is the one and only way.
Haha...no.
www.insider.com/the-potential-risks-of-being-vegan-2019-4
@@arnowisp6244 vegetarian isn't vegan though
I agree that the livestock industry is currently inhumane, but ending it altogether rather than reforming it will just result in the near extinction of animals like cows and chickens in first world countries because they will be economically useless pests that just eat as take up space.
Whoa, I had no idea that vegetarianism was not a widespread practice in Buddhism before! Amazing the kinds of long-lasting effects one imperial edict can have on millions of people thousands of years later.
Vegetarianism is practice in sanatan dharm (Hinduism) and jainism ( they are the originals vegan's)
Still today, Japanese and Tibetan monks eat meat. Not sure about Thailand.
@@slomo4672 Japanese monks don't care. They even marry and have kids.
@@slomo4672 YES THAI LOAS CAMBODIA VIETNAM TOO SADLy JUST ALL ABOUThe MindsEye Krap FRAUDing ONESELF THE SO CALDEmon in onez NotSeLf CREATing the NEVR ending misry of dis dimensional realitys Marketing of USAz FederaLnotes Named Aftr d wOrds MONoEYe C MONEYet..
LUNACY vs SANiTY - CiViLiTY vs SAVAGRY c it get it MATR IX MA TRIX MATR EARTHeartrixing Rather DAN LOVing..
IX = 9 nine nein German for nothing til we R named titled labeled.. also comet sperm shapes going up d MATRIX \ WOMB OUT HED 1st 6 c it get it..
One of the reasons I love the food at "Enjoy Vegetarian" at 12th & Kirkham in San Francisco.
Yesss THANK you for this video. I remember going to a Chinese vegetarian restaurant when I was growing up in Los Angeles and they had a lot of fake meat.
In LA...Bodhi Vegetarian supplies on valley for a great variety of vegetarian products with no onion or garlic. 2 great restaurants are Veggie Life on Garvey and Bodhi Veggie Cuisine on Rosemead. Enjoy 🤗
fascinating video! I personally am a vegetarian and so many of the things you showed made me very hungry. I wish I lived closer to the young lady you showed with the imitation meat products. I would be buying from her monthly!
I live in medford Oregon, I wish I could find a good vegan restaurant near by.Iove Asian vegetarian food.
Very nice channel and video, hope you guys add Chinese subtitles!
The more you know. Another informative one.
Enjoyed this presentation and many of your others also, thank you. It is my understanding that the Buddhist religion came to China from India and also the Ayurvedic (Hindu) teachings which ante-dated Buddhism; these were non-meat eating teachings. [Monastics of Western Christianity/Catholicism from earliest times were also vegetarian, as were the general believers at times of strict fasts.] Maybe others could discuss this? Appreciated.
There's really no need to make this tofu taste exactly like meat. What I like most about tofu in China is that is incredibly diverse, you can find all textures, tastes, and varieties. I would love to have even half of the tofu options where I live now.
Please tell how many years was made tofu, about 面筋 (mianjin) and temples to eat vegan in China.
I need all these recipes, need to reduce my meat intake.
Congrats ! You can do it !
A lot of Chinese mock meat are delicious but not exactly low in calories. Lol
So glad for the animals...
mad about the fact omnipork isn't available in the us
I didn’t know that they owned that brand! I’ve had it many times before and it’s very good !!
Why cant this just be advertised as what it is instead of something it never will be. Seitan is delicious on its own. So is meat. We are lucky to live in a country where it is plentiful, If presented with this gift I will eat and be thankful.
Bhuddisst monks: haha! I have mastered the art of phycological warfare!
Every Lent, I dont eat meat for 40 days. Gluten mock meat is delicious if you squeezed out most of the soaked water which smells funky.
How do you learn to cook with the many meat alternatives I saw in the video?
Also, how much soy is actually healthy to eat?
It’s been seen that for many people, large consumptions of soy and soy by- products affect the body in different ways.
Generally I’ve always seen Asians combine meatless meat with animal protein, reducing the amount of animal fat and over production of these animals.
Help?
Thank you
Can these products be found in the Midwest?
If you don't have a gluten allergy you can actually make that one yourself it's pretty easy
Wish all these products could be more spread out in America
I think it was Empress Wu (not Emperor).
我也想吃。。。
To give context
Yes the Buddha never prohibited eating meat. There were some meats that were off limits like elephant, dog, human etc. The reason is because the monks would collect alms from the community so the monks ate what the community ate overall. They cannot be picky or cannot keep what they got from the previous day so it forces the monks to interact with the community. This is still practiced in countries like Thailand.
I have been one restaurant and is so yummy!
This is cool
guess why we invented Toufu.....
No onions & garlic. I’m so lost.
Like the Vedic religion in India. Neat. I wish more alternatives we as economical as the real meat items to cook at home.
I grew up eating vegan once a week and all the variety food served on the table are made of soy. Each of the item are taste exactly like the protein itself
I want to shop there so bad
based emperor Wu
If omnipork really can make it taste like pork, without using any pork product (imagine food similar to chasiu, siu yuk, etc, but non pork) you have another market to entice, namely the halal market.
It could help cultivate the non vegetarian market.
Beyond and impossible are ridiculously expensive (and WAY to high in fat). A classic case of how gullible people are and how people are willing to pay way too much for the latest fad, another which the mass producer corrupts with unnecessary fat, salt, etc. My favorite, the affordable, delicious and low fat Boca Vegan Burger has disappeared from the shelves because gullible people fall for the con. Morning Star chicken strips (too much salt but otherwise delicious and a PERFECT texture) also disappearing. Morning Star phased out their stake strips years ago and I still mourn the loss.
My friend and I randomly stepped into a Chinese restaurant once when we were traveling we had no idea the place was vegan the food was so freaking good, like one of the best tasting foods I’ve ever had. We thought we were actually eating meat until the waitress told us they don’t serve meat. Wish they sold those products here I would totally go vegan if those were available, I actually enjoyed the vegan stuff more.
Can I ask, did they put alcohol when they cook the vegetarian meals? I always want to eat veg meals but afraid if they put alcohol inside it. I can’t consume alcohol for my religion belief..
I can almost guarantee you they don't. It'd be very rare if they ever do it.
Alcohol is mostly used when cooking actual meat to get rid of the gamey flavour. So when it comes to vegetarian meals with no actual meat inside, they won’t use any alcohol.
Thanks for the replies.. now im relieve
@@mislette57 which religion do you follow
And which place you live
I love pork products, but I feel so terrible for eating it. I really want the omni pork!
I like Chinese vegan food because it is super delicious but it is also highly processed! Many of them are made from gluten for the chewy texture. Not friendly for gluten-sensitive folks out there. Funny that they exclude aliium plants to avoid evoking desires but they make their plants look like meat.
yes, please :D love this kind of content for us vegetarian Buddhists
Well well well.. Wu is the one..
Wudi Emperor of Liang Dynasty was one of most corrupt ones in Chinese history.
His empire eventually had a serious mutiny, and he was stranded in the palace and starved to death.
It's all gluten. The Buddhist temple makes some great dishes.
It is like satvik food
I didn’t know that vegetarianism wasn’t widely practiced among buddhists, I’m glad that Emperor Wu didn’t listen to stupid justifications, that he had a mind of his own and wasn’t a blind follower like the rest
Chinese Buddhism is different than traditional.
India has been vegetarian and vegan for thousands of years too. Veganism and vegetarianism are only new concepts to the West, not to the rest of the world. And yall started off unseasoned as hell 😆
Asia especially has the most delectable scrumptious delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes. Veganism and vegetarianism are a normal part of people's culinary habits. Some are fully vegan or vegetarian while others are partially. With so many religious events too, where blood is not shed, it's normal to eat vegan on these days.
So as per usual the west is late to the party 😝
Many Indian people follow lacto vegetarian diet
Veganism is still rare in India
@@kshitij862 There are so many types of veganism and vegetarianism in India and Asia, depending on what religion and/or spiritualism people follow. Hare Krishna followers for example are vegans. They eat nothing from animals, not sure whether they eat honey though. Although they don't eat vegetables from the ground either.
@@ts4686 first you come to India then your opinion might change
Vegan is now bit pop
Being an Indian my self I can say lacto vegetarian diet is common among Indian and veganism is still very rare and occasionally vegan sounds to be an alein concept in india
Ah, I wish it was that easy to find vegan food in China. Restaurant will be a no go. I am married to a native Chinese man from Guang Xi, we visited 3 times with our children. On my last trip there I only just started going gluten free, many things I ate that had gluten but I didn’t know. I just didn’t eat bread and noodles and ate rice noodle or sweet potato noodles and rice. We miss our family in China a lot right now due to the virus.
I am plant based and gluten free otherwise I will get sick. I suffered for so many years and didn’t know why until I changed my diet. I also love all animals and I am a Christian.
Vegan and gluten free will be difficult in chinese restaurants. Many of the mock meats are gluten (plant protein).
You can buy chop suey in a can. It taste like it has meat. Been around for as long as I can think.
Great video, but the way the narrator pronounces their s's makes it kind of unlistenable, sorry :( Thank you for the captions though. I watched it on mute. :)
is my headphone broken?
If only they had IPO'd they'd be billionaires!
bacana, mas n substitui um churrascão
Faux meat dishes like this though are usually fat heavy. Lots of oil to improve the texture which isn't necessarily best for your health. There's a reason you'd see monks around that are surprisingly overweight.
when I was around 7 years old at 晴川閣 (or maybe some other temple but think that one) in Wuhan, my parents ordered chicken and fish and I hated it. Only after the ordeal did they tell me it's vegetarian 🥴
No 0 Gramm
I really like vegetables and would just eat it as is, but calling it vegan rather than vegetarian just outright pisses me off.
We need a global edict that bans meat eating ...
I didn't know religious Buddhist laypeople still exist in east Asia
They most certainly still exist in all of the East Asian nations
I like chinese mock meat even more than real meat tbh
When i was little i had an experience of this kind of dishes in a big temple, i thought these were real. the shape , color and taste was indistinguishable for a child at least. they even had some "pig organ" dishes. I think the technics will disappear through time, cause it is hard to make. and meat is more accessible nowadays.
Chinese practiced vegetarian life style way before the birth of buddhism...
Buddha actually forbade his disciples to eat meat, unless the meat is leftover and meant to be discarded. He himself followed the same rule. That's why he died from eating leftover rancid pork that should have been thrown away. The idea is non-violence and not to accumulate bad karma of killing sentient beings. If the animals were killed for others' plate and the meat meant to be thrown away, it is good not to waste it.
the west is always late on wtv is on the east! swear!
Thank you, well research. Vegetarian or vegan food already boring then can't use allinmum veggies make it even worse. Actually vegan food very tasty, just that nobody vegan nor know cook it so don't taste good, that's all. I'm vegin, mostly vegan 30 years and I love it, keep my stay young healthy sexy hip fit fresh youthful looking at old age 60. Don't believe then check my vids.
America: realistic fake meats!
China: hold my fake egg....
Is this suppose to be a joke? If not I am not aware of any fake egg products for chinese vegan cooking, there are however fake bottarga which is delicious.
@@kospencer1 no joke. there were fake egg incidents several years ago. just because you are not aware does not equate falsehood. just google "fake egg china" and you will get hundreds if not thousands of hits.
Everyone in this video is confusing vegetarian with vegan!!!!!!!!!
The tradition of going vegetarian on the 1st and 15th of the lunar calendar is the main economics reason for the vegetarian food to survive. On those days you basically have a horde of people eating vegetarian.
And it's not just soy and mushroom, its also the use of gluten to produce mock meat as well.
I am a meat eater but try to replace some products.
I LOVE the follow food burgers.
I will always eat meat, but I try to replace it and reduce my consumption, because at the end its the overall flavor which matters.
The "problem" is that we expect in a lot of dishes the flavor, texture and the general existence of meat in certain dishes.
Please be aware of beyond meat. In my research a lot of mineral oil compounds!
It is not all "green" out there. Be sceptical and do your research!
Love you Emperor Wu for bringing Vegetarianism!! ❤️ Long live Emperor Wu's Glory!!
-A fellow vegetarianism supporter of World!
isn't allium plants restriction is due to killing the plants?
I think some people have alergies
I think it's more about killing the microorganisms at the root of the plant.
Emperor Wu? Whyyyy?!?! :-D
The prohibition against allium family is a little ridiculous IMHO. When was the last time you had a bowl of onion soup and then all of a sudden started perceiving strange feelings in the lower half of your body?
It might stem from the belief that garlic is an aphrodisiac.
首圖擺盤有夠醜，看起來像廚餘。
czcams.com/video/F4R-tFC2F-A/video.html
I have no idea an emperor forced monks and nuns to become vegetarian 😮😱
Get the facts right about Buddhism.
What buddhism facts are wrong in the video?
*this video didn't end well. This video DID NOT END WELL*
Why not?
I enjoy your videos until I saw the incompetent mayor of Oakland.
Well, the buddha died from eating bad pork, so maybe he should have been a vegetarian. Teaching compassion for all living things while eating animals is hypocritical.
He and the monks lived a homeless life style, wandered around and survived on alms food. They better eat what they get. Can't pick and choose.
To compensate for this they add half the animal kingdom to most of their dishes.