If you’ve got any vegans coming round for Christmas dinner, you may be frantically wracking your brains to think of something delicious to cook for them.
The solution could finally be here in the form of a totally vegan beef tenderloin – that is, if you’re willing to splash out £40 ($47) for it.
The ‘Whole-Cut Loin’ is the latest from Slovenian firm Juicy Marbles, which released its first product, a fake filet mignon, earlier this year.
It weighs nearly two pounds (756g) and consists primarily of sunflower oil and protein from soy and wheat.
Each meat-free tenderloin weighs nearly two pounds (756g) and consists primarily of sunflower oil and protein from soy and wheat
The ‘Whole-Cut Loin’ is the latest product from Slovenian firm Juicy Marbles, who released a fake filet mignon earlier this year
‘With nearly 2lbs of 100 per cent plant-based meat, this cut enables anyone from the novice cook to the experienced chef to create steaks, broths, bowls, roasts, and sandwiches,’ the company say.
The beef tenderloin is an oblong muscle which extends along the rear portion of the cow’s spine within the loin.
It is widely known as the most tender, and expensive, portion of beef, with cuts from a butcher costing anywhere from £30 to £100.
While the Juicy Marbles version falls within that price range, no animals were harmed in its creation.
Instead, its inventors used their ‘Meat-o-Matic 9000’ machine, which layers proteins into linear fibres from the bottom up, mimicking muscle structures.
This creates a texture that imitates the fibres found in beef tissue, resulting in juicy chunks that ‘softly tear away’.
These fibres are made of water, soy protein, wheat protein, salt and beetroot powder, the latter giving the deep red colouring of cow flesh.
Juicy Marbles used sunflower oil to replicate the tenderloin’s marbling – the webbing of creamy white fat that makes beef so juicy.
The vegan cut comes ‘raw and unseasoned’, so promises to work just as well as real beef in classic dishes like Wellingtons, roasts and steak sandwiches.
Each 3.5 oz (100 g) portion contains 175 calories and 22.8 g of protein, comparable to that of a Sainsbury’s beef fillet which has 192 calories and 24.5 g of protein.
The Juicy Marbles website says that you ‘shouldn’t need to be a culinary genius’ to create ‘delicious and satiating meals’ using their product.
The beef tenderloin is an oblong muscle which extends along the rear portion of the cow’s spine within the loin (highlighted in red)
The tenderloin can be cut into chunks, slices or fillets, and cooked in the oven or frying pan
Each 3.5 oz (100 g) portion contains 175 calories and 22.8 g of protein, comparable to that of a Sainsbury’s beef fillet which has 192 calories and 24.5 g of protein
The new tenderloin comes ‘raw and unseasoned’, so promises to work just as well as real beef in classic dishes like Wellingtons, roasts and steak sandwiches
Juicy Marbles was launched in the UK last year, and can now count pop star Lizzo as one of its fans after the success of its Thick Cut Filet
The tenderloin can be cut into chunks, slices or fillets, and cooked in the oven, on a grill or in a frying pan.
‘Once you see a royal brown, you have attained the signature Marbles’ crust,’ the meatless food company says.
The interior of the meat is intended to stay pink, to give the taste and texture of a medium-rare steak.
Juicy Marbles was launched in the UK last year, and can now count pop star Lizzo as one of its fans after the success of its Thick Cut Filet.
More people are turning towards vegetarian and vegan diets as they become more aware of the mistreatment of farmed animals and the meat industry’s impact on climate change.
As a result, many researchers are trying different ways to create meat and dairy substitutes that do not rely on animal products.
These include meats made from insects, cheese made from peas and sausages grown in the lab from just a few animal cells.
The fibres in the ‘Whole-Cut Loin’ are made of water, soy protein, wheat protein, salt and beetroot powder, the latter giving the deep red colouring of cow flesh