soy beans
Textured Soy Protein, commonly known simply as “TSP” in the food and culinary industries, is a food product often used as a meat substitute in prepared vegetarian dishes or when meat is not available. Textured Vegetable Protein or “TVP” is a term commonly used as a synonym for “textured vegetable protein”. The product is usually sold in flakes or pieces and is used as a substitute in various dishes. For example, it often replaces meat when used in sandwiches like veggie burgers or sloppy joes. It can also be used in red sauce to create a vegetarian meat sauce for pasta dishes.
While soybeans are an excellent source of dietary protein, meat contains more protein per gram.
The main ingredient in textured soy protein is a type of soy flour. Since soybean meal is much cheaper than meat, it is an inexpensive substitute. Some school lunch programs used textured soy protein in their menus to provide a source of protein and keep costs down. For similar reasons, textured soy protein is often used in correctional settings. The types of textured soy proteins used in schools and prisons are often fortified with vitamins and minerals so that their nutritional value is equivalent to that of the meat they replace.
A vegan diet does not include animal by-products, such as milk, cheese, and other dairy products.
Some supermarkets sell textured soy protein, but it is more commonly used in industrial cooking and is therefore sold in bulk. There are, however, many types of packaged foods sold in many supermarkets that rely on textured soy protein as the main ingredient. An example is veggie burgers for breakfast. Some health food stores sell textured soy protein in prepackaged containers or for bulk purchase.
There is considerable debate about the potentially adverse effects of soy.
Many people who maintain a kosher diet have found textured soy protein to be a very useful product. That’s because a kosher kitchen requires the separation of meat and dairy, both in recipes and in cookware. TSP is a great resource because you can easily replace meat by combining meat with dairy. Traditional lasagna, for example, is not a kosher dish if it is prepared with meat sauce, since one of the main components of the dish is a cheese topping. However, if the sauce is made with TSP, it can be combined with cheese, keeping the dish kosher.