A Tale of Tofurky
FULL STORY ON SUBSTACK
Thanksgiving is a meal of side dishes: creamy mashed potatoes in the largest pot we own, sweet potatoes individually wrapped in foil, and overflowing casserole dishes of stuffing. But for many people, turkey day isn’t the same without a voluminous, golden, and glistening centerpiece on the table.
Vegetarians may still long for a meaty main dish simply for the sake of tradition. Meat alternatives, such as tofurky, have a centuries-long history of allowing people to enjoy traditional dishes without animal meat, embodying a core value of Thanksgiving: inclusion.
A Brief History
Meat alternatives have been consumed for centuries for economic, religious, and political reasons. Tofu was first referenced as a replacement for animal meat in 965 CE in a Chinese document titled Qing Yi Lu that advocated for vegetarianism and soyfoods as a “virtue of frugality.” Between the fifth and eighth centuries in China, the rise of Buddhism led to a ban on state sacrifice of animals with similar bans occurring in Japan. While many Asian diets remained free of meat, meat analogues were developed for special meals for pilgrims or visitors who still had an affinity for meat and as a substitution for offerings at folk religious ceremonies.
In the US, one of the first records of vegetarian Thanksgiving loaves is from the early 1900s in The Unity School of Christianity’s newspaper––Roast Turkey à la Veg was made with wheat, walnuts, butter, egg, onion, and spices. The newspaper published other holiday meatless recipes to allow their followers to avoid the assumed impurities of animal meat while still celebrating social and cultural events.
Meat alternatives continued to grow across the US, spurred by 20th century environmentalists and political activists. The first commercial brand of tofurky debuted in 1995 from Seth Tibbott who was inspired by the countercultural movement in the 1960s and his time on the Farm, the famed commune founded by spiritual leader Stephen Gaskin. Although Tibbott recognized the vast meatless side dishes for Thanksgiving, he thought the meal still lacked “a protein rich savory component.”Tofurky, the company, continues to exist among many new meat alternative companies that have harnessed the scientific advancements of the 21st-century to make even “meatier” mains.
Tofurky on My Table
For years, I did not consider the tofurky to be a central part of Thanksgiving and felt content with the sides. Now, I have come to believe our Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without it.
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My Family’s Tofurky