La Vie Vegan Bacon (from France?!))
Bacon is one of England’s most popular foods, but alas it comes from lovely pigs, and most of them are factory-farmed (and even those that are free-range are still killed, when it’s really easy to make delicious plant-based bacon from a few simple ingredients (or know the best brands to buy).
La Vie vegan bacon is the most popular brand. It hails from France, where it is so popular, that some farmers have tried to ban it!
Richmond Vegan Bacon is owned by a factory-farming meat company. Burger King also cooks its ‘vegan bacon’ on the same grill as meat, which rather defeats the point.
Avoid crispy plant-based bacon for young children and those with swallowing difficulties. And don’t feed leftovers to pets, garden birds or wildfowl, due to salt and fat (which can smear on feathers, affecting waterproofing and insulation).
Debunking Two Arguments Against ‘Fake Meats’
The first one is that vegans and vegetarians should not eat fake meat. What we eat is our business, many people like the taste of bacon, but don’t want animals harmed. There’s nothing wrong with that.
The second is that not eating real bacon is harming British farmers. In fact, most bacon is not just factory-farmed but comes from abroad (say Denmark). And there is not enough land in England (a country of 60 million people) for everyone to eat free-range bacon.
The Benefits of Plant-Based Bacon
- It’s tasty!
- It’s animal-kind!
- It has low carbon footprint
- It has zero cholesterol (so you can enjoy a BLT every day of the year, without worry!)
What is Real Bacon Made From?
Lovely pigs, that’s what. Please don’t eat them.
Bacon is cured pork (from the belly or back of a pig). It’s a processed meat, and linked to various diseases, if eaten in excess. It’s also high in fat and sodium (salt) and contains nitrates (preservatives) that when cooked at high temperature, form nitrosamines (a known cancer risk).
World Health Organisation classifies all processed meats as Group 1 Carcinogens (bacon is linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer).
The ‘bacon taste’ does not come from the meat itself, but from how it’s smoked (hickory, applewood etc) and flavoured (maple etc). So once you know this, it becomes easy to replicate the taste.
Easy Plant-Based Bacon Recipes
By far the best ingredient to make plant-based bacon is tempeh (find it in grocery stores and health stores). This Indonesian food is ideal to replicate the taste and texture. Try this simple recipe at Rainbow plant Life.
This smoked grilled tempeh bacon is a little more complicated, but still do-able. The tempeh is marinaded in soy sauce, maple syrup and toasted sesame soil, for flavour and to help it caramelise on the grill.
Try this vegan cheese and bacon mashed potato casserole (Jessica in the Kitchen).
