About 7 weeks ago I started trying out a vegan diet, which is mostly triggered by the documentary The Game Changers, but also because I've been interested in the environmental and health benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet for a long time. It's actually a lot of fun, especially because I get to try out a lot of new products. So here is a review of one of those products, the Cordon Bleu from Vegafit.
Presentation and ingredients
The packaging looks professional and attractive. The product itself looks like a real Cordon Bleu. It costs 2.99 euros at Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, and for that price you get 2 Cordon Bleu's of 100 grams each.
The list of ingredients is huge, so the whole product is probably heavily processed. The main ingredient is wheat protein, so that's a good source of protein. Still, only 12.6% of it's weight is protein, so that's not a lot. 16.3 grams per 100 grams is fat, of which 2.4 gram is saturated. Also there is 2.1 grams of salt per 100 grams in it, which is really a lot in my opinion. With 22.5 grams per 100 grams it has a lot of carbohydrates.
I wouldn't consider this as a really healthy option. But to be honest, a Cordon Bleu made from meat isn't especially healthy either. But that also depends on whether the Cordon Bleu is made from high quality meat, or from cheap minced meat.
Preparation and taste
Preparing the vegan version is pretty much the same as the meat version. Just put it in a frying pan with a bunch of oil and fry it for about 8 minutes while you turn it sometimes. Don't be shy with using oil, so the product is nicely fried all around. I prefer rice bran oil, because of it's health benefits and high smoking point.
When I finished frying the Cordon Bleu, it looks really attractive. Definitely makes me want to eat it!
But unfortunately the taste isn't as good as how it looks. I'm used to eating high quality meat before I started my vegan diet. I always tried to buy organic meat, preferably from a good butcher's shop. So if you compare this Cordon Bleu to a high quality meat version, the taste of this vegan version isn't anything near the real thing. I think it's best compared to very inexpensive products from the frozen product department in the supermarket. It tastes like cheap minced meat, with the mostly fake cheese you find in deep fried snacks (kaassouffle, for the Dutch reader). And I didn't taste the vegan ham at all. It's mostly a salty blob, every bite is the same. Still, when you eat it, you recognize the taste from a Cordon Bleu. So it isn't all bad, it's just not a food that makes me happy.
Conclusion / points
I'm not a huge fan. It looks good, but it's not a very healthy food in my opinion and the taste doesn't really cut it. I always liked the real Cordon Bleu's made from meat. So I would probably buy this vegan version again once or twice per year, but that's just to trigger memories to a good Cordon Bleu from a really good butcher. Real Cordon Bleu made of meat, I'm going to miss you...
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 2/5
Would I buy it again: 3/5
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