The egg is an everyday miracle – so basic, so cheap, so reliably astonishing in its protean ability to morph from rich custard to airy mousse – and its removal from the equation leaves a gaping culinary hole. And, though plant-based fats are pretty easy to find, for a long time recreating the sturdy foam of whisked egg whites in particular was a challenge that had chefs, scientists and hungry vegans scratching their heads. According to Sébastien Kardinal and Laura Veganpower, despite experimentation with flaxseed, soy protein and CO2 canisters, no one managed to “find a vegan alternative to the soft peaks of whisked egg whites, that held firm in both its raw and cooked forms”.
Then, a decade ago, Joël Roessel, a vegan food blogger, discovered the miracle of aquafaba, or bean water (you can see why the Latin name took off). Unlikely as it may sound, legume cooking water can be whipped into billowing, featherlight foams without any help from a hen. But is this much-hyped ingredient all it’s cracked up to be?
