"fake food" news and stories

Tofurky, Bac-Os, Cool Whip, movie popcorn "topping" - the list of fake foods goes on and on. But why do people feel the need to create substitutes for widely available foodstuffs? There are a number of reasons, says the Chicago Tribune, in an article on the history of fake food. Money is one reason - hydrogenated soybean oil is cheaper than butter as a popcorn topping. Shelf life is another: Cool Whip and Cremora stay good a lot longer than fresh cream. Tofurky, soy dogs and Fakin' bacon serve the vegetarian market. Ritz Cracker mock apple pie and fake oysters made from corn were American frontier settlers answers to the lack of apples and oysters along the road.

But what accounts for "mock cox comb" or a faux standing roast made from Canadian sausages? The answers may be lost to history.

Source

Would you like a slice of cake? It's made out of plastic! April Fool's!

In honor of the day of jokes, hoaxes and pranks, I've compiled a little list of where to get and how to make fake foods:

Brownie Point Blog has the most amazing tutorial on how to make edible fake sushi - salmon nigiri with Rice Krispie treat rice and dried cantelope salmon, shrimp made of hand-painted homemade marshmallow. Seriously realistic-looking, seriously cool.

Leelee's Creations offers hundreds of high-quality fake foods - fake fried chicken dinner, scented plastic cinammon rolls, Popsicles made out of soap, a $185 three-tiered faux wedding cake.

Fake Foods sells just what the name suggests - fake wedges of Swiss cheese, plastic kale leaves, an entire 16-inch "Vegetable Party Tray."

At Jerri Blank's website, funny lady Amy Sedaris shows you how to make a fake chocolate-frosted cake (spackle, plaster of Paris and a hat box)

Check out Craft Gossip for a tutorial on food-shaped candles - a fruit salad candle, a hot fudge sundae candle, etc.

Any other great faux food sites out there?

I've always had something of a fascination with imitation food. When I was a kid, I had a plastic fried egg that I served to my parents, my cousins and my sister over and over again, until the rubbery white turned a sickly grey and bits started to flake off the yellow yoke. I loved presenting my relatives with the fake sushi at my grandmother's house. And I would stare, completely transfixed, at the model dishes at our local Chinese restaurant.

It's no wonder then that I feel compelled to share fun examples of fake food with you whenever I come across them. The image you see above is from an artist who posts images of her work on Flickr. In addition to the TV dinner you see here, she has made anthropomorphic cannoli, sandwiches, a half-open tin of sardines and a carton of milk (to name only a few. It is definitely worth taking a trip over to her page to check out all the cute crocheted food items that she has made.

[via Metafilter]

Source