‘We’re successful when our steaks are served at a diner in rural Kansas’: Can mushrooms replicate the taste and texture of animal meat?

While plenty of plant-based meat companies claim to replicate the taste of the real thing, industry leaders like Beyond Meat, Inc. and Impossible Foods mostly sell products that mimic ground beef or sausages, rather than the texture of a whole cut. 

Now, a new startup focused on mushrooms wants to change that. Meati Foods, backed by famous restaurateurs like Grant Achatz and David Barber, is using mycelium, the vegetative root of a fungi to make jerky, chicken breast, beefsteaks, and deli meat.

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Meati harvests a fast-growing strain of mycelium from grasslands around the world. Then, it places pieces of the fungi in big metal tanks. The company adds sugar to the tanks and lets the substance cultivate for 18 hours in a process similar to brewing beer. The outcome: easily-moldable chunks that mimic the texture of real meat, packed with protein, zinc, fiber, and other vitamins and minerals. 

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“I know we’re successful when our Meati steaks are served at a diner in rural Kansas,” [Meati CEO Tyler Huggins] said. “They’ve understood this product is for them just like anybody else, and they see the value and they think it’s delicious.”

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