After all the hype, I finally had the privilege to try the ever so acclaimed Beyond Burger this past week.
For those who don’t know what it is, let me give you a bit of context by quoting directly from the horse’s mouth – ”The Beyond Burger® is the world’s first plant-based burger that looks, cooks, and tastes like a fresh beef burger. It has all the juicy, meat deliciousness of a traditional burger, but comes with the upsides of a plant-based meal. The Beyond Burger® packs 20g of plant-based protein and has no GMOs, soy or gluten.”
“Our goal in creating The Beyond Burger® was to provide the full 360° mouth-watering, juicy, and delicious experience of beef but without so many of the health, environmental, and animal welfare downsides of traditional animal-based meat.”
To be honest, since my abstinence from animal products ten years ago, I have not particularly been the type to look for meat alternatives or “meat-like products” so I have never bought or sought after meat-free sausages, meat-free patties or any food that resembles meat in any way, shape or form. I have always tended to keep it to the plants as they were. Therefore the launch of the Beyond Burger was not something I was particularly thrilled about with regards to wanting to eat it. Let’s face it, the Beyond Burger has been created for meat-eaters to get them to realise that it doesn’t have to be meat to taste good. Most vegans wouldn’t want to eat a flesh-like burger! That said, I am indeed excited that there is a plant-based product that is providing a tenable culinary solution – its existence is one I am thrilled about more than anything.
So how was the burger? I’ll say, it really was good and I enjoyed it. This pea-filled, beef-like patty had the texture, smokiness and exact resemblance of a traditional beef burger I recall eating in my pre-enlightened days. If you were to give a Beyond Burger to a meat-eater without specifying that it was plant-based or making any such mention, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. If anything they’ll probably proclaim that it is one of the best burgers they’ve ever had!
There was nothing I could mark the Beyond Burger down for – it tastes great, it’s certainly a healthy option being GMO, gluten and soy-free and it contributes to a purpose beyond me and beyond the satisfaction of my taste buds. I certainly have no complaints about that! Is it something you’ll find me chomping away at? Yeah sure, I enjoy me a good plant burger devoid of blood, flesh and death. So if you find it in your supermarket or on the menu at your local restaurant, I’d suggest you definitely check it out!
Written by Derrick Shadrack