What does ‘seitan’ mean?

Seitan comes from the Japanese words “sei”, meaning “to be, become, made of”, and “tan”, as in tanpaku, which means “proteins”. Freely translated: “made of proteins”.

What is seitan?

Seitan is a high-protein product, usually made of wheat flour, spelt flour or gluten. Seitan has a high content of wheat or spelt proteins which are rich in gluten. Bertyn seitan is “bio”, in other words, it’s made of organic ingredients.

Where does seitan come from?

More than 1,000 years ago, seitan was prepared by Zen Buddhists in China and Japan as a substitute for meat or fish.

Which countries include seitan in their diets?

In the Chinese kitchen, seitan is called Mian juin (mien chin or mien ching).

Chinese Buddhist Mahayana monks ate seitan; they were strict vegans. Today, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants may serve ‘mock duck’ or ‘mock chicken’, an animal-friendly and healthier alternative for duck or chicken, made of seitan. Mock duck or mock chicken is often prepared with peanuts or mushrooms. The Chinese regularly eat seitan for breakfast, with cooked rice porridge (congee).

In the Japanese kitchen, seitan is often translated into “fu”, meaning “gluten”.

The Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa (1803-1966) brought seitan to the West in the early 1960s. To many people, George Ohsawa symbolises macrobiotics. His aim was to introduce a healthy cooking method/diet in the West.

In the Vietnamese kitchen, seitan is often called ‘mi cang’ or ‘mi can’, referring to wheat gluten. Together with tofu, seitan forms part of the Buddhist Vietnamese kitchen, which was highly influenced by China.
In the vegetarian and vegan kitchen, seitan is eaten as a protein supply or meat substitute. It is free from uric acid, cholesterol and saturated fat; it is low in fat and rich in proteins. Many vegetarians and vegans prefer organic seitan to tofu or tempeh.
In the healthy kitchen, organic seitan is eaten as a healthier alternative to meat or fish. On average, organic seitan contains more proteins than fish or meat and doesn't have the disadvantages of meat or fish (such as purines and hormones in meat, and mercury and PCBs in fish).

The ethical kitchen uses seitan because the conscious choice against meat or fish is better for the environment, animals and man. Eating less meat helps to fight global warming, gives our oceans more breathing space and produces less pollution. Eating less fish helps towards a better balance of our oceans.