A few things are obligatory for visitors to Philadelphia: run up the Art Museum steps, Rocky-style; rap the entire Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme; and eat a Philly cheesesteak. What many do not realise is that Philly is also a centre for vegan dining – so much so that the vegan Philly cheesesteak is now a thing. Yes it sounds like a contradiction, but that hasn’t stopped Philadelphians from taking plant-based versions of this usually meat- and dairy-laden sandwich to heart.
In downtown Philly, Blackbird Pizzeria uses seitan, a wheat gluten, to replace the meat, and dairy-free cheese whiz to recreate the slippery creamy texture. They’re not the only ones playing around with the classic. Round the corner, Govinda’s does a vegan chicken cheesesteak, and if you’re willing to track down Jerry’s Kitchen, a food truck usually parked at 33rd and Arch on the Drexel University campus, you’ll find another seitan variation.
HipCityVeg, which has outlets near Rittenhouse Square, in University City, and is opening soon on Broad Street to the south, switches the beef for organic soy, grains, and seitan (again), with added mushrooms for a more meaty texture, onions and garlic, all topped with a soya mayonnaise.
To carnivores, the idea might seem dubious, the attempt plain daft, but while these ingredients sound a million miles from the original shredded beef and lashings of Cheez Whiz, they taste pretty convincing. Plus they’re less likely to make your heart pack up, and are a guilt-free way for vegetarians to complete their Philly ticklist, an appropriately inclusive move for the “city of brotherly love”.
