Nutritional yeast: all about the ‘umami bomb’ natural flavour enhancer vegans and vegetarians know as ‘nooch’ that gives meals a savoury kick
- Plant-based diet advocates will be familiar with the golden yellow flakes that add a nutty, Parmesan-like flavour to meals and are used to make vegan ‘cheese’
- As well as enhancing flavour, nutritional yeast is packed with essential B vitamins, proteins and antioxidants
Advocates of the plant-based diet are familiar with nutritional yeast – golden yellow flakes or granules that add a savoury, almost cheesy or nutty flavour to foods.
This pantry staple, affectionately called “nooch” by fans, is made from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain of yeast, also known as brewer’s or baker’s yeast, the same one bakers use to leaven bread and brewers to brew beer. However, unlike the live yeast used to make bread and beer, nutritional yeast is a deactivated, “dead” or inactive yeast.
“The yeast is cultured in a nutrient medium such as sugar beets or blackstrap molasses for several days,” says Althea Tan Hutchinson, co-founder of The Happy Plantarian with her sister, Tansy Tan.
The Hong Kong-based company offers nutrition workshops and cooking classes based on wholefood, plant-based nutrition principles.
“When the yeast is ready, it is deactivated with heat, then harvested, washed, dried and packaged,” says Tan.