Issue 06: NUTRITIONAL YEAST
Butter? We'll take that popcorn with NOOCH please.
No, it’s not just for vegans, Nooch Is For Everyone. Samin Nosrat considers nooch a pantry staple and judging by the spike in nooch orders since quarantine began, many of us also consider it a staple. Christina Chaey called nutritional yeast “Nature’s Cheeto Dust” and we have been hanging on that proclamation ever since. We know it is salty, nutty, kinda cheesy, very savory, and reminds us of that parmesan, umami flavor. We know it is a popular popcorn topping. But what is it actually?
Nutritional yeast is a dehydrated yeast product. The yeast comes from the strain Soccharomyces cerevisiae, the same type of yeast that’s used to brew beer and bake bread.
How is Nutritional Yeast Different From the Active Yeast I Bake With?
Yeast is neither animal nor plant, but fungus. Yeast can either be “primary grown” or a byproduct or means to another recipe. Initially, yeast was a byproduct of the beer-making process. Nutritional yeast is never a brewery by-product and is typically grown on molasses from either sugar beets or cane sugar. (Much of the sugar beet harvest in the U.S. is genetically modified, but nutritional yeasts grown on non-GMO versions are available, and some are organic) Brewer’s yeast or Active yeast is, uh, active, and helps breads rise. Nutritional yeast is inactive and therefore cannot be substituted for active yeast.
Nutritional yeast is grown in vats of molasses, nutrients, and water. Once the yeast is mature, it gets poured out onto a conveyor belt and goes through a drying process that breaks it down into little flakes.
What Are We Doing Eating Yeast Anyway?
According to this story from The Salt, “in 1916, just five years after the word ‘vitamin’ was coined, a chemist named Atherton Seidell, of what was then known as the Hygienic Laboratory (now known as the National Institutes of Health), published an article about the health benefits of brewer's yeast and how it could treat ‘nutritional deficiency diseases’ such as scurvy or beriberi. It was a brand new approach at the time.”
Brewer’s yeast was a cheap byproduct, typically washed down the sewer if not sold, that no one paid much attention to until the Fleishman Brother’s created the first commercial yeast company in Ohio. Thanks to store-bought bread, yeast was growing obsolete until Fleishman’s marketing came up with the "Yeast for Health" campaign. They hired a doctor to “study” yeast, as well as an advertising agency, and yeast became one of the first widely-accepted nutritional supplements. The rise of plant-based diets in the 60’s and 70’s secured nutritional yeast’s place on the shelf as a source of B12, a nutrient that is not available from non-animal sources.
So then how is nooch a source of B12?
What some people don’t realize is that nutritional yeast does not naturally produce B12. Most nooch is fortified with synthetic vitamins, like B12. There are brands that do not fortify their nooch, but Bragg’s, a ubiquitous nooch brand, is a fortified, non-GMO product. So while we may associate nooch with healthy, clean eating it is actually a very processed product.
PURCHASING
You can find nutritional yeast in a few places in the grocery store, including the baking, condiment, health food, or bulk aisles.
A typical serving size for nutritional yeast is one to two tablespoons. Some recipes call for ¼ to ½ cup so only buy in bulk if you know you are going to use a lot of it!
Nooch is naturally free of dairy, eggs, wheat, nuts, and corn but check the label anyway as it may be manufactured in the same facility as those allergens.
PREPARATION
Use nutritional yeast the same way you would a grated cheese and sprinkle over veggies, toasts, pastas, or incorporate into sauces and dressings.
Caitlin Hubner, private chef and founder of Soupernatural and co-founder of Savta, didn’t see nooch on her culinary radar until she was enrolled in a primarily vegan culinary school. Here are Hubner’s favorite ways of enjoying nutritional yeast:
Sprinkled over popcorn. Popcorn is considered a meal (especially when paired with wine in quarantine). Ask me about my favorite popcorn/natural wine pairings.
Added to soups for an extra layer of umami; this works particularly well in creamier soups.
In the Vegan Caesar salad at Scarr's Pizza - A MIND BLOWING SALAD. [ed note: Bon App has a recipe]
Sprinkled over my dog Charles Barkley's dinner for a little extra boost of nutrients.
Additionally, this recipe for a nooch salad dressing that also includes worcestershire, miso, and garlic is catching my eye as well as this vegan pesto recipe subbing nooch for parm.
Nooch is also very popular for its high protein content while also being low in fat and carbs. However if keeping the amino acid protein intact is a priority for your nooch consumption, avoid baking or heating beyond a boil at 212 degrees (the highest temperature it might reach during a low-temperature pasteurization process).
STORAGE
Store nutritional yeast in a cool, dark place, or the fridge, and it should keep for about two years. (Riboflavin is sensitive to light and nooch is rich with the B-vitamin) Store in an airtight container to ensure potency, as you would with spices.
REMEMBER: “ENJOY BY”, “BEST BY”, “BEST BEFORE”, “BEST WHEN/IF USED BY”, ARE NOT SAFETY DATES! These dates are issued by the manufacturer, estimating how long the nooch will remain at “peak quality”. THE BEST WAY TO DISCERN QUALITY IS THE SMELL TEST!
TL;DR
Nutritional yeast is a popular source of B12 for vegans. It has a nutty, savory, umami flavor profile and can be used in place of grated cheese. While it is considered ~crunchy~, nooch is actually a very processed product. Nutritional yeast cannot be substituted for active yeast. Eat it on popcorn.
GROCERY-RELATED INTERNET
The freshest picked news from the world wide web
How to share food safely during the pandemic.
Priya Krishna tells us how yogurt mirrors America’s eating habits
Wondering if @officialseanpenn hacked the media and put out this list of investors for Gathered Foods, the makers of Good Catch plant-based tuna: Woody Harrelson, Shailene Woodley, Paris Hilton and Lance Bass.
The Agriculture Department and prosecutors are investigating whether the meatpacking industry is fixing or manipulating prices, as customers are paying more for beef than they have in decades.
My inner, Gawker-snark demon is relishing the news that Noma is currently … a burger joint.
If you haven’t already, please donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Rachel Ricketts provides a spiritual activisim, anti-racism webinar replay that I will be watching this weekend. I am taking advantage of the extra time quarantine has given me to read books by James Baldwin, watch the Toni Morrison documentary, and listen to BIPOC. Bookshop.org has this list of anti-racism books if you are looking for a starting point.
Thanks for reading! For any and all questions, comments, concerns, or topic suggestions please reach out! enjoyby@maggiemcglinchy.com
