You are here:About>Food & Drink>Vegetarian Food> Glossary> Seitan - What is seitan? - Definition of Seitan - How to Make Seitan
About.comVegetarian Food
Jolinda Hackett

"Seitan"

From Jolinda Hackett,
Your Guide to Vegetarian Food.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Definition: Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”, seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a vegetarian mock meat, and seitan is also the base for several commercially available products such as Tofurky deli slices.

Seitan can be prepared by hand using either whole wheat flour or vital wheat gluten and is made by rinsing away the starch in the wheat, leaving a high-protein gluten behind. Although not as common as tofu, seitan is quickly gaining popularity, particularly in vegetarian restaurants, due to its ability to take on the texture and flavor of meat. Prepared seitan can be found in the refrigerated section of most health food stores.

Seitan Recipes:

More:

How To Make Seitan

Like this article?

Sign up to receive free vegetarian and vegan recipes, resources and tips in a weekly email newsletter. Click here.
Pronunciation: SAY-tahn or SAY-tan
Also Known As: wheat meat, wheat gluten, gluten, vital wheat gluten
Common Misspellings: sietan
 All Topics | Email Article | Print this Page | |
Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.