Quorn: WTF Is it?

[MissMisery]

Background... Lifelong veggie, regularly ate soya mince as a meat alternative during younger days, but more and more over the years have been eating and enjoying quorn.

I never really questioned its origins, after all, Mo Farah tells us its good! And it's low fat, far smaller carbon footprint and so on.. And I'm sure they used to say something on the packet about mushrooms from Marlow (what could be more wholesome?!)
So to my mind, it was a mushroom based product. Only it isn't......

The penny dropped whilst at a friends house. She had made a chicken curry for the meat-eaters, and had very kindly made a quorn version for me. Her dh, who is very much a 'meat and two veg' type of bloke positivlely balked when I suggested he try the quorn version. His reaction: "You couldn't pay me to eat that stuff... I was at ICI when they developed it".

Developed At ICI??!! What about the lovely mushrooms from Marlow?? A quick google search has confirmed what he said. It WAS developed by ICI, and Quorn have actually been in trouble here with advertising standards(and in the US) for suggesting it is mushroom based.

It is, of course 'mycro-protein' and a type of fungus or bacteria. This is I suppose, a natural product, but what concerns me is the process they use to texture it, which they seem rather reluctant to divulge, and does not need to be listed under ingredients. I suppose this could be an understandable desire to protect their method of preparation, but something about this is really starting to bother me.

Have I just been spectacularly naive? (I'm pre-empting a chorus of 'Of course it's ghastly artificial shite!!!' here..)

I would very much like to be reassured as to its safety, particularly as my dc eat it too. Also any alternative to the meat industry has to be a good thing..

I would love to hear from anyone with a food science background.

Thanks in advance for any input.

I was veggie for years and I ate quorn loads, i never had any problems with it and I always thought it tasted alright.

I thought Quorn was vile when I tried it once. Didn't like the taste or texture, and that's coming from someone who eats almost anything (I'm a meat eater, not a vegetarian).

I've never been convinced it looks particuarly appetising, and it didn't make my 'alternative' meat free spaghetti bolgnese taste great. I would avoid it if asked to try it again.

Tofu = rotten beans. Quorn is rank too. I agree with pps that either eat real meat or don't.

This is fascinating. I have eaten Quorn for about 20 years and never had a moments problem with it.

I was told once by a dietitian that "Quorn is basically slime" which put me off somewhat.

I think it’s bad for you if your body is intolerant of it, and not bad if your body can handle it. I’ve never been sick or had tummy issues from it, but then I have a cast iron stomach.
The reaction level is lower percentage wise than soya.

I like quorn - or at least the chicken style pieces that are lovely in a curry or just stir fried with garlic, ginger, chili and coriander. I'm fine with it being made from fungus.

Now TVP is another thing altogether. My friend used to work in a carpet factory that also made TVP. That really put me off it.

My dbro reacts really badly to quorn. Really badly. You don't want to be clearing up after that.

Water is basically hydrogen with a bit oxygen.

Hydrogenated margarine is bad.
So that makes water bad?

Everything is chemical as a previous poster said.

And everyone saying they get ill from it which means it’s not food, my friend is gluten intolerant And gets unwell from that ... bread is still food. As is the dairy my DP can’t eat and the tomatoes which give my cousin diarrhoea.

Thanks so much for starting this thread. DT2 decided last week that she wanted to try being vegetarian, which is fine and I was happy to accommodate her, but with the two other DDs being confirmed meat eaters I struggled a little to make meals that they would all eat. I was thinking of trying Quorn mince (there's not many Quorn products they can eat because they all have coeliac disease), but I was hesitant.

Quorn used to be recommended on Slimming World as a high protein substitute for mince in bolognaise and chilli, and I tried it once and hated the texture of it. It's interesting to hear of other people's violent reactions to it...don't want to risk such an extreme reaction for my DDs so I think I'll steer clear.

Kills loads of people every year, Tinkerbec
And sharks live in it!
Yet they pump the deadly stuff right into our own homes!

It’s not the most exciting food, but it tastes fine and it’s easy to cook with. I’ve eaten it for years as has my husband and even feed it to my toddler and it doesn’t make any of us ill.

@LemonysSnicket "I think it’s bad for you if your body is intolerant of it, and not bad if your body can handle it."
Sums it up perfectly. The same would apply to many foodstuffs. I've met people who have violent reactions to gluten, dairy, pineapples, certain spices and even onions (not all the same person). I wouldn't suggest that others "stay away" from all those foodstuffs as a just in case though. Because that would be silly.

I love some Quorn products: the lamb grills, chipolatas, crispy fillets, toad in the hole, Quorn roast... in fact I'm having Quorn hot dogs for tea.

You see this what I don’t get about veggies esp the militant ones. They bang on about the shit the average meat eaters diet contains but they consume such artificial food why?! I like my food to be messed about with as little as possible.

I think vegetarians tend to bang on about the ethical hurdles associated with eating animals, rather than demanding everyone eats natural products.

Like any processed burger or freezer food it's something that if you aren't I tolerant of should be eaten occasionally. I relied too heavily on it initially and now it features in maybe one meal every week/10 days.

I get why some people choose to eat meat, for me the nutrition just isn't worth the pain and suffering involved and I can get everything I need from other sources, but family members do and I don't love them anyless. But I really think our bodies are not supposed to consume dairy and that, along with regular consumption of processed vegan or non vegan foods, is the real problem with our diets nowadays. So yes I like it and use the vegan products sparingly but I don't think it's a good basis for a way of eating regularly.

*intolerant of

I don't have a issue with processed food, but it is often touted as healthier and I'm not sure it is.
I just dont eat it as it doesn't taste nice to me and it gives me the wild shites

I've been eating it for twenty years and have never had any problems. I have noticed how popular it is too, with more and more versions added so I think a lot of people must be able to eat it without feeling ill. Not that I don't accept that isn't true for everybody.

I should think that in America the meat lobbyists will have been sure to spread the idea that it makes people ill when the real reason for saying this would be to promote the meat industry's interests.

But your post is worrying me I must say!

Mrs pear, like any large group of people you will find a wide range of opinions and diets and lifestyle choices.

Veggies or vegans aren't one homogeneous group of people. Some people focus very heavily on natural unprocessed foods and some don't care. The main common feature I find is much more the ethical side than the diet side although of course there are many different ethical positions as well.

For example there are big palm oil debates within the vegan groups I am a member of, discussing the environmental impact and whether that renders it not vegan, despite not being an animal product as such.

If you’re shocked by quorn being grown in a factory, check out how the average chicken lives, dies and gets processed.

Another one who is violently affected by it here ! But I do really love the taste. I let the dc eat it occasionally.

ChelleDawg "It's a disgusting non-food for smug vegans who wrongly think it is better for the planet than eating meat."

I'm pretty sure Quorn isn't vegan...it has milk powder and/or egg...

non-food for smug vegans - you wanted to make a point there didn't you, though goodness knows what it was.