why pepitas (pumpkin seeds) taste like blue cheese?
Many nondairy 'blue cheese' recipes are pepita based. It actually mimics blue reasonably well according to omnivores.
What constituent(s) creates this flavor? Recipes include acid and salt and sometimes yeast but where is the blue?
I've looked at short-chain fatty acids etc like propionic, butyrate, valeric (pentanoic), decanoic and lauric; even the goaty 3-methylbutanoic present in blue cheese. Doesn't correspond with pepitas palmitic, oleic, and linoleic so what could it be?
This is a typical recipe by https://lowcarb-vegan.net/vegan-blue-cheese/ Ingredients
1/2 cup (70 g) unroasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1/2 cup (120 ml) vinegar or lemon juice
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or a small clove of fresh garlic
1 teaspoon salt
200 gram (7 oz) firm tofu
1/3 to 1/2 cup (80-120 ml) neutral tasting coconut oil (optional)
Best Answer
I'm certainly not a food scientist or chemist, but could it be the umami that is being likened to, or substituting for blue cheese? Pepitas are pretty high in glutamic acid at 13258mg per 227 grams of seeds. Glutamic acid, I believe, is a source of umami.
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What do Pepita seeds taste like?
What Do They Taste Like? Green pepitas have a sweet, nutty flavor, making them a perfect accent for most everything from soups and salads to main courses, and desserts. Pepitas are dense and oily like sunflower seeds, and taste similar too, except that pepitas are nuttier and sweeter, as well as a bit larger in size.What do roasted pepitas taste like?
Like many nuts and seeds, pepitas taste best when toasted and salted. The flavor is nutty, pleasantly oily and crunchy, but not hard.Are pepitas different than pumpkin seeds?
Pepitas and pumpkin seeds are actually two different things. (And they aren't hulled pumpkin seeds, either!) A pepita is harvested from specific hull-less pumpkin varieties, known as Styrian or Oil Seed pumpkins. They even have hip names like Lady Godiva, Naked Bear, and Kakai Hulless Pumpkin.Are pepitas pumpkin?
In other words, pepitas are pumpkin seeds, but they only come from certain types of pumpkins and don't require shelling.Pumpkin Seeds--Benefits for Men--Increase Sperm Count!!!
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