‘Impossible’! No It’s Possible! Here’s a Beef Burger without Beef

The burger that is taking the USA by storm: ‘The Impossible Burger’! A beef burger without the beef.

The beef burger without beef

(Photo: AP)

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

Impossible Burger, the ‘beef’ burger which bleeds and sizzles but contains no meat, is taking the US by storm. It is prepared by Impossible Foods, based in Silicon Valley California, who have found a way to create a realistic meat-like substitute from completely natural and plant-based sources.

They have found a way to extract a molecule found in meat called ‘heme’ which is also found in plants, that is the key ingredient in giving this vegan burger a meaty texture and flavour.

A new plant has increased supply by 250 times. The factory has a capacity to create 1.4 million pounds of food a month. It now serves thousands of restaurants across the USA and has plans to spread worldwide.

There are four major natural ingredients in the Impossible Burger. There’s a protein from a wheat plant that we’ve all been eating for a long time. There’s this protein that comes from a potato. Two percent of a potato’s protein gives it its bind. That’s why it can firm up when you cook it. It has this incredible juiciness from an essence of coconut and then it has a very special ingredient. We’re the only one who has this, it has something called ‘heme’.

David Lee, COO and CFO of Impossible Foods

In 2016, global hospitality company SBE which became a major shareholder in the Umami Restaurant Group. Umami Burger, a leading gourmet burger chain in the USA, is now also selling the Impossible Burger. The burger is available at Unami for $13-14.

The Impossible Burger is currently only available in the USA and Hong Kong. The response to the burger, however, has been outstanding and the company is looking to expand globally.

Chefs and restaurant owners are looking to use this plant-based source as a substitute for meat in other dishes as well.

(With inputs from AP)

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