Seitan: From Monks to Mass Appeal

—by Caroline Daykin

With a name that means “ideal protein” in Japanese, seitan (SAY-tan) has much to live up to. Also known as mock duck, this wheat-derived victual has become a consistent, if not exactly prominent, fixture at natural foods and Asian grocery stores during the past quarter century. This more obscure cousin of tofu, utilized as a meat substitute in myriad vegetarian recipes, is made by separating proteinrich wheat gluten from the starch and bran in the grain.

Folklore holds that seitan was created by Buddhist monks in order to persuade followers to adopt a vegetarian diet. The first precept of Buddhism requires adherents to cultivate reverence for life, a concept that some Buddhists interpret as a mandate to follow a vegetarian lifestyle. Since its inception, seitan has also found favor with Seventh-Day Adventists and Mormons, whose religions also encourage a vegetarian diet. Additionally, the food has served as a protein source for peasants in Southeast Asia and Russia.

Digestibility questions and record-breaking nutrition

For those with gluten sensitivity, concern over the digestibility of gluten inevitably accompanies any comprehensive discussion of seitan. While it has been argued that many people who are sensitive to other gluten products have no trouble with seitan because it is made with high quality ingredients and cooking methods, other sources advise those sensitive to gluten to steer clear of seitan.

If gluten sensitivity isn’t a concern, there are compelling nutritional reasons for consuming seitan. While many vegetarian foods contain modest amounts of protein, a serving of seitan contains as much protein as an equal amount of steak. Tofu, which is prized among vegetarians for its relatively high protein content, provides only half as much protein as steak does.

Although they contain the same amount of protein, there are several important differences between steak and seitan. While a 3.5 oz. serving of steak and a seitan serving of the same size both contain 16 grams of protein, the steak adds 300 calories and 11.5 grams of saturated fat to the diet of its consumer, while the seitan endows an eater with a scant 120 calories and 0 grams of saturated fat.

It is important to keep in mind that consuming the copious quantities of protein in seitan will not provide one with all the essential amino acids the body needs. Seitan is low in the amino acid lysine, and consequently one should not plan to subsist on seitan alone. However, seitan is usually prepared with soy sauce, which is lysine-rich. In order to add more lysine to a seitan meal, the food may be served with beans, which contain adequate amounts of lysine.

A recent study suggests that an “Eco-Atkins” diet composed of plant foods rich in protein, such as seitan, may be more effective at lowering cholesterol than a traditional low-fat vegetarian diet.

The study involved two groups of men and women with high cholesterol. One group consumed a low-carbohydrate diet high in vegetable protein, while the other group dined on a highcarbohydrate vegetarian diet.

While both groups lost comparable amounts of weight, the lowcarbohydrate group had greater reductions in total cholesterol and in LDL (the harmful variety of cholesterol) concentration. (Although both groups also experienced a decrease in blood pressure, the high-carbohydrate group boasted the greater decrease.)

Seitan at the co-op

In addition to packages of pre-made seitan, the co-op also carries several seitan specialty products. A co-op shopper may indulge in seitan sausages or seitan jerky, both of which are available in several flavors. After considering my options, I concluded that the Mesquite Lime seitan jerky sounded most appealing. I was not disappointed; its soy sauce-infused taste reminded me of a chicken dish I ate as a child.

Cooking seitan

A continuum of preparation options exist for seitan. Adept cooks or adventurous individuals can make seitan from scratch by kneading whole wheat dough, rinsing it in order to remove the starch and bran, and simmering the resulting gluten in a broth consisting of tamari and the sea vegetable kombu.

For those who wish not to make their seitan entirely from scratch, a second option is to purchase a mix. Perhaps the most accessible option for the nascent seitan cook is to pick up a package of pre-made seitan.

While it is widely held that seitan takes on the flavors it is cooked with, I found this to be not entirely true when I sampled it. Although the seitan had a definite tamari flavor, reflecting how it was cooked, it nonetheless retained a distinct wheaty taste. While I did not find this flavor to be overwhelmingly delicious, it did not taste bad either. Perhaps it's a taste that can be acquired.

Often, seitan works well as a stand-in for meat. This recipe from epicurious.com originally called for chicken, but I substituted seitan. The recipe tasted notably better when it was fresh; therefore, it is advisable to make only as much as can be consumed in one sitting.

References

• Aitken, Timothy. “Meet the meat of wheat: health-conscious cooks should get to know seitan, a versatile, highprotein food.” Vegetarian Times, 88–90, February 1997.
• Belleme, Jan. “The seitan alternative: nutritious and versatile, wheatmeat well deserves its growing popularity.” East West, 62–69, January 1990.
• Gach, Gary. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Buddhism. New York: Alpha, 2004.
• Jenkins, David J.A., et al. “The effect of a plant-based low-carbohydrate (‘eco- Atkins’) diet on body weight and blood lipid concentrations in hyperlipidemic subjects.” Archives of Internal Medicine, 1046–1054, June 8, 2009.
• Nussinow, Jill. “The vegetarian seitan ‘wheat meat.’” Vegetarian Journal, 6–10, March/April 1996.

[Caroline Daykin likes reading, knitting and crocheting, and board games. She thinks the word "amazing" is overused.]