Texturized soy protein has reached an acme of popularity, elevated to a trendy, sought-after ingredient by those same Baby Boomers who once shunned soy burgers.
In the early 1960s, public school kids knew all about meat analogs. We called it “mystery meat” and subjected the thin, overcooked and rubberized brown patties to the derision they merited. Those school burgers passing themselves off as meat probably never actually saw the grassy side of a pasture. But, they did introduce the term “TVP” into the first grade lexicon. Back then, that was the extent of our familiarity with soy.
The following decade brought an ironic twist of fate. That same textured vegetable protein established a foothold among hipster vegetarians rebelling against the Establishment. The association of soy with health began in earnest for Americans by the 1980s; today, texturized soy protein has reached an acme of popularity, elevated to a trendy, sought-after ingredient for those same Baby Boomers who shunned soy burgers.