Vegan mock meat: where it came from and why it's argued about

Vegan dishes shaped like meat ones — mock fish, mock chicken, vegan sausage — are so familiar in Vietnam that few people ask why. They go back further than most assume, and the argument surrounding them is nearly as old.

Where it came from

Shaped vegan food originated in temple kitchens in China and spread across the region, Vietnam included. Not a modern invention but a long-standing tradition.

Three reasons are usually cited:

1. Hosting guests

Temples receive visitors from everywhere, many of whom don't eat vegetarian. A meal meant to be proper and complete in form needs the shape of a banquet — which means dishes occupying the positions a meat banquet's main dishes would.

The reasoning here is social more than religious: a meal is an act of hospitality, and a banquet has its own form.

2. Helping people transition

Giving up meat is a large change in both taste and habit. Familiar shapes and textures make the transition considerably easier — a practical function that still holds today.

3. Festivals still have to look like festivals

A New Year or death-anniversary table has its own structure, bound up with ritual. A vegetarian household wanting to keep that ritual needs dishes filling the right positions — not to deceive, but to preserve the form of the observance.

What it's made from

Three base ingredients, each giving a different texture:

• Wheat gluten — chewy and fibrous, used where a firm bite is wanted.
• Tofu skin — dried soy milk film, rolled in layers for a stranded texture.
• Pressed tofu — water pressed out and marinated, giving a solid block.

Plus mushrooms, taro, starch and seasonings. Ordinary kitchen technique rather than any special technology.

Why it's argued about

The argument happens within vegetarian circles, not between vegetarians and meat eaters. Three main positions:

Against

• "Still thinking about meat means not having let go." This comes from a religious-practice angle: eating vegetarian isn't only abstaining but ceasing to want. Mock dishes keep the wanting alive.
• "Much of it is heavily processed." A health argument: packaged vegan sausage is high in salt and oil, far from the idea of eating vegetarian to feel lighter.
• "It causes confusion." Particularly for foreign visitors reading the names without knowing what they're eating.

In favour

• "It genuinely helps beginners." Many people who stuck with vegetarian eating did so because the early stage had familiar food.
• "Shape isn't substance." Tofu shaped like a fish is still tofu, and no fish was affected.
• "It preserves ritual." Ancestral observance tables have a structure, and substitute dishes let vegetarian households keep the tradition.

In between

A third position, and perhaps the most practical: distinguish between shaped dishes made from fresh ingredients and packaged processed products.

Something shaped in a kitchen from tofu, wheat gluten and mushrooms is one thing. An industrial product full of additives and salt is another. Arguing about both at once goes nowhere, because they're different things.

The practical point: read the ingredients

Setting the argument aside, one thing every vegetarian should know: mock meat isn't automatically fully plant-based.

• Many vegan cold cuts and mock meats contain egg white as a binder.
• Some contain dairy-derived ingredients.
• Accompanying sauces often contain egg.

Manufacturers aren't hiding this — the ingredients are usually listed plainly. It's just that few people read them, because the word "vegetarian" on the front feels like reassurance enough.

And in banh mi

Banh mi runs into this less than most dishes, because the fillings are mainly tofu and sliced vegan cold cut — tofu imitates nothing, and sliced cold cut is the simplest shaped form, modelled on no animal.

Anyone wanting to avoid shaped products entirely will find a tofu-filled sandwich the simplest choice.

Quick answers

How old is vegan mock meat?

It originated in temple kitchens in China and spread across the region including Vietnam — a long-standing tradition rather than a modern invention.

Why would a temple make food resembling meat?

Three reasons: hosting visitors many of whom don't eat vegetarian, easing the transition for beginners, and keeping the proper form of festival and ancestral-observance tables.

What is it made from?

Three bases: wheat gluten (chewy and fibrous), tofu skin (dried soy milk film, rolled for a stranded texture) and pressed tofu, plus mushrooms, taro, starch and seasonings.

Why is it contested?

The argument runs within vegetarian circles. Against: a religious-practice objection about still wanting meat, a health objection about heavy processing, and the confusion it causes. In favour: its real value for beginners and its role in preserving ritual.

Is mock meat fully plant-based?

Not automatically. Many vegan cold cuts and mock meats use egg white as a binder, some contain dairy-derived ingredients, and accompanying sauces often contain egg. It's usually listed — just seldom read.

How do I avoid shaped products?

Choose a tofu-filled sandwich — tofu imitates nothing, and sliced vegan cold cut is the simplest shaped form, modelled on no animal.