Freising – The Munich start-up “Walding” is making the mushroom big!
Burgers, schnitzel, liverwurst, mayo, miso – everything made from mushrooms and vegan. Chef David Stille (33) is certain: “The mushroom is the savior of the future when it comes to nutrition!”
The principle of “Walding”: Various edible raw materials are fermented with the subterranean part of the mushrooms, the mycelium. Growing through changes the taste and structure of the ingredients used. The special feature: “Walding” ferments in one piece, does not harvest proteins from a reactor, but also uses the starting material. In this way, many nutrients are incorporated naturally.
“Walding” also makes sauces and pastes. Here a buckwheat miso is mixed
Stille: “It is important to us to bring new products to the customer that offer just as much of the pleasure experience as meat – without the hell of it tasting like meat. Many meat substitutes aim to imitate meat and do so at the expense of their wholeness. They are greasy and have few natural ingredients. But I don’t want our children to only know artificial flavors. An example: For me personally, a spread based on pea proteins shouldn’t taste like liverwurst if it only works with artificial flavors. You get a funny association with eating. The taste no longer comes from the product itself, but is artificially added.”
The “Walding” burger consists of fermented quinoa, usually from a Munich farmer, and mushroom roots, which make the patty al dente, as well as a special marinade (including bean paste).
The “Walding” burger is made from fermented quinoa, which is said to be sourced entirely from Munich at some point
The flagship of the company is the tree fungus Sulfur Porling – the “Chicken of the Woods”. It has a meaty texture that doesn’t change when fried, is tender like chicken fillet, and comes straight off the tree. Silence: “You can make great chicken nuggets and schnitzel out of it. We have requests from vegan butchers. The fungus can weigh up to seven kilos.”
The problem: Walding products are not yet mass-produced, but for the specialty market. Silence: “We can’t produce that much yet. Mushroom production is very expensive. That’s why we’re looking for a new location in Munich.” The “Walding” team is currently working in an old building of the Technical University in Freising.
From March 8th to 12th, Walding will be at the “Food & Life” trade fair in Munich.