As a cheese lover, it pains me to admit that not everyone can eat cheese. Allergies, intolerances, lifestyle, or dietary needs leave many people unable to play in the cheese arena.
I recently realized how challenging it is to live without cheese. Completing a seven-day "cleanse" meant avoiding wheat, sugar and dairy - basically, living without anything really delicious. Imagine the pain of a cheese lover without cheese for seven whole days!
Then Daiya caught my attention. Daiya products are "cheese alternatives" that simulate the experience of cheese, minus the nasty side effects that dairy and soy can produce in some consumers.
Daiya is a local company, founded in 2008 by friends Greg Blake and Andre Kroecher who had been searching for cheese substitutes but were unable to find a satisfactory imitation fromage. After many kitchen experiments, they ended up creating what they were looking for: something that melted, stretched and tasted like real cheese.
All Daiya products are manufactured in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»in their own production facility, eliminating the chance of cross-contamination. Their staff produces 24,000 pounds of product daily, much of it sold in British Columbia stores and supermarkets.
Launching in 2009, with a shredded product fittingly called "Shreds," Daiya came out with a solid version ("Wedges") in 2012. The wedges come in three flavours: cheddar, jack, and jalapeno garlic havarti.
According to marketing director Victoria Gray: "Daiya can be used anywhere a typical dairy-based cheese would be used. We have shredded products that are designed for melting in dishes such as pizza, lasagna, mac 'n' cheese, grilled cheese - you name it. We also have wedge products that can be eaten cold or melted. The wedges are great in sandwiches or on crackers."
Daiya has designed their products to perform like the real thing. They recommend cooking with Daiya just as you would with a dairy-based cheese. Their products are also lower in fat and calories per serving than cheese.
And the taste?
I sampled the Daiya cheddar Shreds, and jalapeno garlic havarti style Wedges. Shreds come in a white bag and resemble shredded cheese in aroma and texture. When melted, they stretch, ooze and bubble in plausibly cheese-like fashion, with a taste that is acceptably close to the real thing.
The jalapeno garlic havarti wedge is a solid hunk of product that you slice to order. It's definitely my favourite of the two, with a nice kick of heat and good texture. In a sandwich with all the fixings, it could pass for dairy cheese.
Will I give up my beloved dairy cheese for Daiya? Never! I'm a cheese lifer, and Daiya is not really cheese.
But that's entirely the point. And the next time I do my annual cleanse, Daiya will have a definite place on my menu.
Food columnist Willow Yamauchi tried 100 cheeses over the course of 100 days and lived to write about it. Follow more of her cheesy exploits at myblogofcheese.wordpress.com or contact her at [email protected] or [email protected] or twitter.com/willow72.
