The maker of the world’s first marbled vegan steak has unveiled another major creation – plant-based ribs featuring edible bones.
Juicy Marbles, which is also known for its vegan tenderloin, says its Plant-based ‘Bone-In’ Ribs product is a world first.
According to the brand, the product’s inception ‘came from a shared sense of nostalgia for the “primal joys” of eating ribs’, as well as a need for more ‘food-culture-friendly’ plant-based foods.
The company developed the bones itself, which it says are made from almost pure plant-based protein.
It adds that after eating the ribs, you can ‘bake, fry or air-fry the bones into puffed, crispy snacks that sport as much protein as beef jerky’.
However, the bones have created some controversy. Since announcing the product on social media, debate has raged over why a vegan product would feature imitation bones.
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The 'bones' can be cooked to give a crunchy, puffed protein snack. Photo © Juicy Marbles
Plant-based ribs
Addressing the topic in a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Juicy Marbles co-founder Vladimir Mićković said: “We’re way past that. I’m afraid that any rational answer would be pure bulls#*t, as we don’t always default to reason.
“To some, bones from plants may be an ideological provocation, but we shouldn’t take these things too seriously. It’s just fun from every angle.
“Bones invite you to eat with your hands, to tear off succulent chunks of meat, and share that indulgence with the whole table. It was also fun developing them.
“Since we made the bones ourselves, we could actually question the concept of bones in general. We could challenge ourselves to make them useful – even edible.
“At Juicy Marbles, we don’t just aim to re-create a shape of meat, but the entire experience, as well as the macro/micro nutrient profile.”
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The ribs' meat is startlingly realistic. Photo © Juicy Marbles
Food culture
According to Mićković, the product will fill the need for food culture friendly options.
He notes that the ‘experience of meat doesn’t end with flavour’, saying that there is ‘a culture of celebration, sharing, and belonging around meat—part of a food culture thousands of years in the making’.
“Anyone cutting down on meat can probably confirm that the hardest part is not missing meat’s flavour, but feeling excluded from cultural traditions,” he said.
“That’s why we chose ribs as our next product, rather than another cut of steak. We wanted to create something that evokes the primal joys of sharing food.”
While there is currently no official launch date for the product, the Plant Based Bone-in Ribs will be available for regular purchase on their web-shop sometime in early 2024.
According to Juicy Marbles, the product is available pre-release via limited ‘drops’—where small quantities will go on sale in the UK, EU, and US.
When the brand has previously used this sales method, it has regularly sold out in hours, or even minutes.
Consumers can request access to the first small batch of Ribs, by signing-up for the “list of pure prestige” on Juicy Marbles’ website. The first batch is set to drop at the end of August, 2023.
Keen to find out more about Juicy Marbles’ products? See what happened when we tried its high-tech steaks
Featured photo © Juicy Marbles
