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Encyclopedia > Wheat gluten (food)
A piece of seitan
A piece of seitan

Wheat gluten - also called seitan (pronounced SAY-tahn), wheat meat, wheat-meat, wheatmeat, gluten meat, or simply gluten - is a foodstuff made from the gluten of wheat. It is made by washing dough made from wheat flour in water until the starch is rinsed away, leaving only the gluten, which can then be cooked and processed in various ways. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous ergastic protein found combined with starch in the endosperm of some cereals, notably wheat, rye, and barley. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... Dough Dough is a paste made out of any cereals (grains) or leguminous crops by grinding with small amount of water. ... Look up flour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Starch (CAS# 9005-25-8) is a complex carbohydrate which is soluble in water; it is used by plants as a way to store excess glucose. ...


Wheat gluten, although not as well known, is an alternative to soy-based meat substitutes such as tofu; some types may taste even more like meat than tofu due to their chewy and/or stringy texture. It is often used in place of meat in Asian, vegetarian, Buddhist, and macrobiotic cuisines. Binomial name Glycine max (L.) Merr. ... A meat analogue, also called meat substitute, mock meat or veat, approximates the aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor and appearance) and/or chemical characteristics of certain types of meat. ... Tofu (the Japanese Romaji spelling), also called doufu (the Chinese Pinyin spelling often used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (the literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin[1], made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. ... Asian cuisine is a term for the various cuisines of South, East and Southeast Asia and for fusion dishes based on combining them. ... A variety of vegetarian food ingredients. ... Buddhist cuisine is a kind of cuisine mainly for the believers of Buddhism. ... Macrobiotics, from the Greek macro (large, long) + bios (life), is a lifestyle that incorporates a dietary regimen. ...


Wheat gluten is most popular in China, where it was first developed, as well as in the cuisines of other East and Southeast Asian nations. In Asia, it is commonly found on the menus of restaurants catering primarily to Buddhist customers who do not eat meat, but who nonetheless enjoy eating meatless versions of meat dishes. East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, which is also a philosophy and a system of psychology. ...


Because it was first popularized in western nations during the second half of the 20th century through its promotion by proponents of the macrobiotic diet, seitan (the name by which it is known in macrobiotic circles) is also the name by which wheat gluten is best known in most English-speaking nations. In the West, prepared wheat gluten is generally available only in Asian markets and health food stores (although gluten flour is commonly available in supermarkets). Macrobiotics, from the Greek macro (large, long) + bios (life), is a lifestyle that incorporates a dietary regimen. ... Exterior of Hong Kong Supermarket in Monterey Park, California, USA Asian market in Buenos Aires, Argentina An Asian supermarket, sometimes called an Oriental supermarket, is a grocery store in non-Asian countries that stocks items imported from the many countries of Asia. ...


Wheat gluten is also sometimes used in pet foods. Toxic wheat gluten from China resulted in a widespread recall of pet food in 2007.

Contents

Forms

Chinese

Canned fried wheat gluten ("vegetarian mock duck"), product of Taiwan.
Fried wheat gluten ("vegetarian mock duck"), product of Taiwan. Contents of the can above.

Wheat gluten, called miàn jīn in Chinese (traditional: , simplified: , literally "noodle/dough tendon"; also spelled mien chin or mien ching) is believed to have originated in ancient China, as a meat substitute for adherents of Buddhism, particularly some Mahayana Buddhist monks, who are strict vegetarians (see Buddhist cuisine). There is a story which claims that the idea originated from the annual traditional week of vegetarianism observed by Chinese emperors, for which the royal chefs invented the technology (cf. Vegetarian Paradise 2 menu, New York City; Harmony Restaurant Menu, Philadelphia, etc.).[citation needed] Miàn jīn is often deep fried before being cooked in Chinese cuisine, which confers a crispy rind that enhances the texture of the gluten. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 393 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (996 × 1518 pixel, file size: 323 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Wheat gluten (food... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 393 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (996 × 1518 pixel, file size: 323 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Wheat gluten (food... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 718 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1813 × 1514 pixel, file size: 695 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Wheat gluten (food... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 718 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1813 × 1514 pixel, file size: 695 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Wheat gluten (food... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; also Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) refer to one of two standard Chinese character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language, officially simplified by the government of the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... A meat analogue, also called meat substitute, mock meat or veat, approximates the aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor and appearance) and/or chemical characteristics of certain types of meat. ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, which is also a philosophy and a system of psychology. ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... Buddhist cuisine is a kind of cuisine mainly for the believers of Buddhism. ... A Deep fried Twinkie Breaded, deep-fried squid Deep frying is a cooking method whereby food is submerged in hot oil or fat. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...


There are three primary Chinese forms of wheat gluten:

  1. Oily/oil fried gluten (油麵筋, yóu miàn jīn): Raw gluten that has been torn into small bits, then deep fried into small puffy balls of around 3–5 cm in diameter and sold as "imitation abalone". They are golden brown in color, and braised or boiled in a savory soup or stew before eating. They are frequently paired with xiang gu (black mushrooms).
    • Larger fried balls of gluten (大面筋球, dà miàn jīn qiú) up to 5 inches in diameter are sometimes seen in Asian supermarkets. These are often stuffed with meat or tofu mixtures and served as a dish called "gluten meatballs" (面筋肉圆, Miàn jīn roù yuán) or "gluten stuffed with meat" (面筋塞肉, miàn jīn saī roù).
  2. Steamed gluten (蒸麵筋, zhēng miàn jīn): Raw gluten that has been wrapped around itself to form a long sausage shape which is then steamed. This type of gluten has a dense texture and ranges from off-white to light greenish grey in color. It is torn open into strips before being used as an ingredient in recipes. Larger blocks of steamed gluten may also be colored pink and sold as vegetarian "mock ham."
  3. Baked spongy gluten (traditional: 烤麩; simplified: 烤麸; pinyin: kǎo fū): Similar in texture to a sponge, kao fu (sometimes labeled in English as "bran puff") is made by leavening raw gluten, then baking or steaming it. These are sold as small blocks in Chinese markets and are then diced up and cooked. This type of gluten absorbs its cooking liquid like a sponge and is enjoyed for its "juicy" character. Chinese kao fu is coarser in texture than its Japanese counterpart, yaki-fu, due to the relatively larger air bubbles it contains. Kao fu is available in fresh, frozen, and canned forms.

Miàn jīn is also available in Asian grocery stores in canned and jarred forms, often marinated in combination with peanuts or mushrooms. Such canned and jarred gluten is commonly eaten as an accompaniment to congee (boiled rice porridge) as part of a traditional Chinese breakfast. Braising (from the French braiser) is cooking with moist heat, typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid which results in a particular flavor. ... Shiitake mushrooms The shiitake mushroom (Japanese: 椎茸; Chinese: 香菇; pinyin: ) (Lentinus edodes or Lentinula edodes), more rarely called the black forest mushroom, is an edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree (Pasania cuspidata — a relative of the oak). ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Swedish meatballs Meatball can mean:- A food: see below Meatballs (film), a movie MeatballWiki,a Web site about online culture. ... Classes Calcarea Hexactinellida Demospongiae The sponges or poriferans (from Latin porus pore and ferre to bear) are animals of the phylum Porifera. ... A leavening agent (sometimes called just leavening or leaven) is a substance used in doughs and batters that causes a foaming action. ... . ... Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The peanut, or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the legume family Fabaceae native to South America. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Rice congee is a type of rice porridge that is eaten in many Asian countries. ...


Freshly prepared miàn jīn can be difficult to find in Chinese restaurants other than those specializing in Buddhist or vegetarian cuisine. Depending on its method of preparation and ingredients used, both fresh and preserved miàn jīn can be used to simulate pork, poultry, beef, or even seafood. A variety of vegetarian food ingredients. ...


Japanese

In Japanese cuisine, the traditional type of wheat gluten is called fu (, lit. "gluten"). There are many views as to what defines Japanese cuisine, as the everyday food of the Japanese people have diversified immensely over the past century or so. ...


There are two main forms of fu, the raw nama-fu, and the dry yaki-fu:

  1. Raw (nama-fu 生麸): Solid gluten is mixed with glutinous rice flour and millet and steamed in large blocks. It may be shaped and colored in a variety of ways, using ingredients such as mugwort. Popular shapes include autumn-colored maple leaves, bunnies, and other generally "cute" forms. Such shapes and colors enhance the attractiveness of the cooked product since steamed gluten has an unappealing grey tone. Nama-fu is an important ingredient in Shōjin-ryōri, the Buddhist vegetarian cuisine of Japan. It may also be used as an ingredient in wagashi, Japanese confectionery.
    • Fu-manjū (麸まんじゅう) is a type of manju made from nama-fu. Solid gluten is sweetened and filled with various sweet fillings such as red bean paste. They are then wrapped in leaves and steamed in a manner similar to that used to prepare Chinese zongzi.
  2. Dry baked (yaki-fu 焼き麩 or sukiyaki-fu): The gluten is leavened with baking powder and baked into long breadlike sticks. It is often sold in cut form, as hard dry discs resembling croutons or bread rusk. Yaki-fu is typically added to miso soup and sukiyaki, where it absorbs some of the broth and acquires a fine texture that is lighter and fluffier than its Chinese equivalent. It is the most commonly available type of fu in Japanese supermarkets.

In Japan, seasoned "gluten meat" (i.e. seitan, as cooked in the macrobiotic manner), is not well known or widely available, despite the macrobiotic diet's Japanese origins. When used, the terms for this food are rendered in katakana as グルテンミート (pronounced "gurutenmiito," from the English "gluten meat"), or, rarely, セイタン ("seitan"). Outside macrobiotic circles, these terms are virtually unknown in Japan, and they do not typically appear in Japanese dictionaries. Glutinous rice ( or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, mochi rice, and pearl rice) is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. ... Pearl millet in the field The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. ... Binomial name Artemisia vulgaris L. Mugwort or Common Wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris) is a species from the daisy family Asteraceae. ... Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. ... Buddhist cuisine is a kind of cuisine mainly for the believers of Buddhism. ... A selection of wagashi to be served during a Japanese tea ceremony. ... Manju (Japanese: 饅頭, manjÅ«) is a famous, popular, and traditional Japanese confection. ... Red bean paste (Chinese: or ; Pinyin: Hóngdòushā; Hokkien: angtaosa) or azuki bean paste (Japanese: an ), anko ), ogura )) is a sweet, dark purplish-red paste used in Chinese cuisine, Japanese confectionery and Korean cuisine. ... The zongzi, or rice dumpling, is a traditional Chinese food. ... A crouton is a small piece of dry or fried bread, often seasoned, that is used to add texture and flavour to salads, notably the Caesar salad, and as an accompaniment to soups. ... A rusk is a hard dry biscuit, or a slice of bread baked again until it is hard and crisp (also known as Zwieback). ... Miso soup with miso, wakame, negi and aburaage Miso soup packets Miso soup (味噌汁, miso shiru in Japanese) is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called dashi into which is mixed softened miso paste. ... Sukiyaki This article refers to the food. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...


Vietnamese

In Vietnam, wheat gluten is called mì căng or mì căn, and is prepared in a similar fashion to Chinese miàn jīn. Along with tofu, it is a part of the Buddhist cuisine of Vietnam, which is strongly influenced by that of China.


Macrobiotic

Seitan, a neologism of Japanese origin, is the name used to refer to wheat gluten in the macrobiotic system of cooking and health, as formulated by the Japanese-born philosopher George Ohsawa (1893–1966). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is said to have been coined by Ohsawa in the early 1960s, but its etymology is uncertain, with the most likely explanation being that it is derived from the Japanese sei- ("to be", "to become"), or -sei ("of the nature of," "made of," e.g. in shokubutsu-sei, "made of vegetable") + tan-, as in tanpaku(shitsu) ("protein"). A neologism (Greek νεολογισμός [neologismos], from νέος [neos] new + λόγος [logos] word, speech, discourse + suffix -ισμός [-ismos] -ism) is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (coined) — often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. ... Macrobiotics, from the Greek macro (large, long) + bios (life), is a lifestyle that incorporates a dietary regimen. ... George Ohsawa (born Joichi Sakurazawa; kanji: 桜沢如一; on October 18, 1893; d. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ...


As prepared in macrobiotic practice, seitan consists of powdered wheat gluten, which is extracted from whole wheat flour by washing the flour and rinsing away the starch. The gluten powder (also called vital wheat gluten or gluten flour) is then mixed with just enough water to form a stiff paste, which is then kneaded in order to produce a firm, stringy texture. The dough is then cut into pieces and cooked via steaming, boiling, frying, or other methods. While seitan is itself rather flavorless, it holds a marinade very well and is usually simmered in a dashi (broth) made from soy sauce, kombu, ginger, and sometimes also sesame oil. Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous ergastic protein found combined with starch in the endosperm of some cereals, notably wheat, rye, and barley. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Starch (CAS# 9005-25-8) is a complex carbohydrate which is soluble in water; it is used by plants as a way to store excess glucose. ... Dashi (出汁) is one of several simple soup stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cooking. ... Broth is a liquid in which meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered and strained out. ... Soy sauce (US) or soya sauce is a fermented sauce made from soybeans (soya beans), roasted grain, water and salt. ... Kombu or konbu (Japanese: 昆布), also called dashima (Korean), or haidai (Chinese: 海带; pinyin: ), are edible kelp widely eaten in Northeast Asia. ... Binomial name Zingiber officinale Roscoe Ginger is commonly used as a spice in cuisines throughout the world. ... Sesame oil (also known as gingelly oil and til oil) is an organic oil derived from sesames, noted to have the distinctive aroma and taste of its parent seed. ...


Western

Since the mid-20th century, wheat gluten (generally known by its macrobiotic name, seitan) has been increasingly adopted by vegetarians in western nations as a realistic meat substitute, particularly by vegetarians who previously ate meat and miss its taste and/or texture.


It is sold in block, strip and shaped forms in North America, where it is very difficult to find outside of Asian food markets, health food stores and cooperatives. Some companies also sell powdered gluten (marketed under the names "vital wheat gluten" or "gluten flour"), for those who wish to make their own gluten from scratch. Wheat gluten is also used by bakers to increase the chewyness of breads. The block form is most prevalent and is often flavored with shiitake or portabello mushrooms, fresh cilantro or onion, or barbecue sauce, or packed in a vegetable-based broth. In strip form, it is usually packed to be eaten right out of the package as a high-protein snack. Shaped seitan products, in the form of "ribs" and patties, are usually flavored with barbecue, teriyaki or other savory sauces. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... A health food store is a type of grocery store that primarily sells natural or organic foods, and often nutritional supplements. ... For cooperative as used in biochemistry, see cooperative binding. ... Shiitake mushrooms The shiitake mushroom (Japanese: 椎茸; Chinese: 香菇; pinyin: ) (Lentinus edodes or Lentinula edodes), more rarely called the black forest mushroom, is an edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree (Pasania cuspidata — a relative of the oak). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Coriandrum sativum Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an annual herb commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, Latin American and Southeast Asian cooking. ... Binomial name Allium cepa L. Onion in the general sense can be used for any plant in the genus Allium but used without qualifiers usually means Allium cepa, also called the garden onion. ... The St. ... Chicken teriyaki. ... For the computer protocol, see SAUCE In cooking, a sauce is a liquid or sometimes solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. ...


In North America, there is even an imitation turkey (called "Tofurky") made of seitan which is marketed around the Thanksgiving holiday, providing an alternative for vegetarians who choose not to eat the traditional holiday centerpiece. Wheat gluten is also used by The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem, a vegan African American religious sect which operates a chain of restaurants called Soul Vegetarian, to produce a vegetarian sandwich called the Garvey Burger. Tofurkey is tofu processed to look and taste like roast turkey. ... // The First Thanksgiving, painted by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863-1930). ... The African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem (also known as The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem or Black Hebrews) is a small religious group whose members believe they are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. ... Hens kept in cramped conditions — the avoidance of animal suffering is the primary motivation of people who become vegans A vegan is a person who avoids the ingestion or use of animal products. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...


See also

Wikibooks
Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject:
Seitan

Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo-en. ... Buddhist cuisine is a kind of cuisine mainly for the believers of Buddhism. ... Coeliac disease or celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals in all age groups after early infancy. ... Wheat - a prime source of gluten Gluten is an amorphous ergastic protein found combined with starch in the endosperm of some cereals, notably wheat, rye, and barley. ... A meat analogue, also called meat substitute, mock meat or veat, approximates the aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor and appearance) and/or chemical characteristics of certain types of meat. ... Mock duck, like seitan, is a gluten-based vegetarian protein source. ... Dry TVP flakes are an inexpensive protein source when purchased in bulk and can be added to a variety of vegetarian dishes or used as a supplement to bulk out a meat dish. ... Tofu (the Japanese Romaji spelling), also called doufu (the Chinese Pinyin spelling often used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (the literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin[1], made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. ... A variety of vegetarian food ingredients. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ...

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