Say (Vegan) Cheese!

16 October 2009 2 Comments

I must confess, one of the reasons it took me so long to consider changing to a vegan lifestyle was my obsession with and love of cheese. Vegan cheese products are hit-and-miss at best: Some are good and others are not so good, but none were great. Until now! Enter Daiya cheese. I read about this product in VegNews and it piqued my interest. All vegetarians and vegans, it seems, are raving about Daiya. Why? Firstly, it’s flavourful and has the texture and creamy mouthfeel of real cheese (most vegan cheeses have flavour, but they lack creaminess). Secondly, it melts and stretches just like real cheese (this is a huge advantage over other brands)–a coup de theatre, if you will, in the world of vegan cheese (hello pizza!!). Thirdly, it’s currently available in two yummy flavours: cheddar and Italian blend.

Naturally, with these advantages, I had to try it for myself and what better way than on a pizza. I used the Italian blend (the cheddar was sold out). So what were my findings? Impressive. As you can tell from the photo, the cheese melted and stretched like the real thing. The taste had the same depth of flavour and saltiness of real cheese. In fact, it was so good, I’ve been sprinkling it on and adding it to just about every meal I’ve prepared this week. I will be trying the cheddar flavour just as soon as it is available, but I have no doubt that it will be equally delicious.

Daiya is currently available in select states and will be available nationwide as of Spring 2010 (as per the company email to me). In the meantime, you can order it online at Pangea. I highly recommend you give it a taste test. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.