Thanks to the dominance of wellness and #cleaneating, the list of things people do with vegetables nowadays is never ending. We’ve all heard of courgetti, cauliflower rice and even sweet potato toast, but now there’s a new – even wackier – way to consume your greens (and reds, pinks, purples and yellows).
‘Salad cakes’ are a Japanese food craze that might even make you consider giving up traditional baked goods (we said might).
Inspired by the healthy-eating movement, Mitsuki Moriyasu, a cafe owner and food stylist from Nagoya, created the "Vegedeco Salad" (decorated vegetables). These are elaborate, brightly-coloured masterpieces that contain only vegetables and “healthy” ingredients, such as tofu “frosting” and vegetable-derived natural colourings, reported CNN.
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"It looks like a normal cake – but it's made of only veggies. You can have it for breakfast, lunch – and it's very suitable for dinner with wine," Moriyasu told CNN. "Each cake tastes different, depending which vegetables we use – but I would say it tastes like something you've never had before."
The strangest concoction Moriyasu has ever made? A salad cake with matcha-flavoured tofu cream, apparently. “It was a very unique taste."
Moriyasu posted her creation online and customers quickly began visiting her cafe in droves to sample a salad cake for themselves. "They are colourful and gorgeous... and the customers enjoy eating them," she said.
There are now around 50 varieties, all of which aim to highlight the vegetables “best characteristics,” said Moriyasu. "My inspiration comes from when I think about the shapes and combination of colours of different vegetables."
Buy an "All Vege Set" at Moriyasu's cafe and get a slice of cake, a piece of gluten-free bread and a cup of tea for £9. We're not sure we'd opt for salad cake over our favourite lemon drizzle, but we're definitely intrigued.