Did You Try It? Vegan Foie Gras

A new blog series, in which OC staff procures the wackiest, most buzzed about junk-slash-fad food on the global market, then conducts highly professional taste tests.

NOT RECOMMENDED

The Regal Vegan Faux Gras 
Price: $7.99 at The Real Vegan or a local Whole Foods 
Quantity: 8-ounce tub 
Origin: Brooklyn, New York 
Color: Brown 
Smell: Nutty, like aged hummus 

If real foie gras, banned in a state like California, is pegged as a five-star delicacy, Regal Vegan's Faux Gras would be the "normcore version." A blend of toasted walnuts, lentils, miso, and caramelized onions, this spread is touted by the company's website as "not just good for you, but good for everyone." False advertising could be at play, here. While one reviewer did say that it's "actually pretty good if you ignore what it's supposed to be imitating," most tasters politely declined "the brown stuff" and wondered, "Is it sorta like, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter?" 

 

Those game to try it spread the most miniscule smear onto their crackers, only to lament of the "weird aftertaste" and "the beany, near-malty texture." "It doesn't taste like the kind you get at Fortnum & Mason," someone sniffed, "but if you're going for a more savory version of hummus, this is it."  "It screams vegan," a staffer concluded.  Which is to say, no one asked for seconds. 

Photo by Jessica Chou