Tofu feta has been a mainstay in my own personal recipe repertoire for years now, a mighty tasty marinated tofu creation, packing a vinegary punch and pleasantly herbaceous bite. Feta it is not, and no one would likely confuse the two, but it makes for a highly acceptable substitute in everyday meals. However, for those with access to a serious health food store, “good enough” need not suffice- Sunergia, the little known but growing gourmet tofu makers have an alternative that blows all the others out of the water.
Although they’ve sadly discontinued 2/3 of their feta flavors, the Mediterranean Herb variety still lives on, and is quite a catch to find. Tangy, unmistakably cheesy, and exactly what I remember dairy-based feta to be, it both crumbles and slices beautifully, making it the perfect accent to all sorts of dishes. It’s hard to even think about leaving it out of my salads these days, as that soft, salty piquancy makes it the perfect foil to crisp, fresh veggies. Many lunches these days are accented by a simple combination of diced tomatoes and cucumbers, a handful of parsley and scallion, a touch of olive oil, and a sprinkle of this addictive feta.
It also works nicely over hot dishes too, of course! Pictured above is a quick melange of roasted onions and delicata squash, topped of course with more feta. Just a touch of it seems to perk up any hum-drum dish. If you’re in need of an easy flavor enhancer, look no further- I have yet to find a savory dish that it didn’t brighten up nicely.
Harder to hunt down but even more illustrious, their Bleu Cheese is damned near to-die for. Pungent, sour, and unmistakably umami, it’s hard to describe the flavor, but I can tell you it’s worth tasting for yourself to find out. Like standard bleu (or blue, depending on who you ask,) it may be more of an acquired taste, but die-hard cheese lovers are bound to delight in this cruelty-free alternative. There’s simply nothing else on the market like it.
Of course, the bulk of Sungeria‘s offerings are of regular tofu, but there’s nothing “standard” about them. Flavored with things like pesto, peanut and ginger, portabello, and a whole range of others, these are some of the most flavorful and unique soy products I’ve had the pleasure of discovering. More than just spices and herbs are included, as they throw in tons of crunchy textural enhancers, like sunflower seeds, quinoa, chia seeds, and even pine nuts where appropriate. These are some of the few tofus that anyone could happily eat plain, cold, and completely unadorned. My favorite use for any of the varieties is wrapped up in sushi rolls, adding a whole new dimension to the typical futomaki.
Although my rolling skills could use some work, they also are right at home in the middle of a light and veggie-packed spring roll, the perfect no-cook appetizer or entree for a hot summer’s day.
The real disappointment here, as I’ve alluded to periodically, is that all of the above are very hard to find. You won’t see them at the standard grocery store, and only at a select few Whole Foods’, but should all else fail, you can order them online.
Wow if you hadn’t said I would have thought this was regular cheese. Looks so good.
Readers: The Whole Foods in green hills (Nashville, TN) carries the feta varieties and blue cheeze as well :)
I’ve never heard of Sungeria before. I would love to try their feta and bleu “cheese.” Those used to be 2 of my favorites. I really need to move somewhere that has a Whole Foods!
They sound delicious! In Austria I managed to find some great flavoured tofu, but here in Hong Kong they don’t even stock a smoked variety! Only plain & silken found…bizarre, I know – especially seeing as this is where Tofu originated from! But I guess they like it plain…So I will keep begging friends to bring packs of the good stuff back from the US ;)
I never knew there was cheese made out of soy, that is like my prayers being answered. And all your dishes got me drooling.
the spring rolls look out of this world!
Wow, Hannah, you’ve made Sunergia’s products sound quite tantalizing! I’ve never heard of the brand before, but you can bet I’ll be on the lookout for that tofu feta! Thanks for the tip– your creations look wonderful.
I’m not vegan but I have friends who are and I would love to find these to be able to cook more and varied things for them! Thanks for sharing!
it was so long that you had nothing published! You do not waste time! Still pretty pictures very appetizing:) Do not understand the text well, I hope to see your revenue is in your book will soon be on your site:)
Bravo, it’s just perfect!
Looks so good! I’ve wondered how their cheeses taste. My husband loves blue cheese and hasn’t had it in quite a while, would it be a good alternative for him?
I love love love the bleu cheese! I have some feta in the fridge to try, too. I broke down and mail-ordered them a while ago and am so happy I did.
Wow, everything sure looks good, could not tell that was made of soy :-)
Great pictures!
That all looks super yummy, although oddly enough I never had feta or blue cheese before, vegan or not :)
Love the pictures. THe blue cheese gives it a great flavor I’m sure!
your descriptions are making my mouth water… I’m going to have to travel to every Whole Foods in nyc in search of these, now!
This is new to me! I do like soy, though, so would love to try :)
We used to get them all the time at the WF in the Bay Area but unfortunately, haven’t been able to find it up here in Portland. Boy do I miss the blue cheese!
This absolutely hurts me. Because unlike your regular reviews of products available only in Australia, I”ve actually *had* these. I did an exchange year at UVA in Charlottesville, where Sunergia is located, and so I can firmly attest that the original flavours, the fetas, and the blue cheese are to die for. The blue cheese tofu was amazing. Oh heavens. I’m going to go cry now.
I’m calling my Whole Foods today! Beautiful pictures, mouth-watering.
oh you have me drooling. If only we had some of these available here!
I love to make my own feta from tofu but this looks like it would be miles better! What a gorgeous looking texture it has and the way you describe the taste has me drooling. Lovely photos, especially that burger! YUM!
I can’t believe this is the first I have seen of this tofu delicacy! How fantastic… but why haven’t you started making your own yet Hannah? ;)
Perfect! Absolutely THRILLED over this information. I love your descriptions and can’t wait to check out the site to see what wonderful offerings Sungeria has to offer.
Is Sungeria paying you to advertise for them? Because they should be. You’ve definitely convinced me to try their products! Our local health food store has a pretty comprehensive selection, so I’ll be looking for this brand next time I go. Thanks for sharing!
i had no idea you could get tofu made in to cheese…..the bleu cheese sounds delicious!
I usually don’t like to be tied down to a certain brand name (the main reason why i dont use N-ergy or whatever it’s called), but so many recipes I have in my vegetarian books call for feta! I swear, I havent seen a single Greek recipe without it!
Maybe I should buy this to veganize those recipes then :)
Hopefully they’ll get more buisness after enough people have read your post!
You are such a talented photographer! Seriously- Your pictures should be in a calendar/magazine! What camera do you use and is there a point and shoot in particular that you would recommend?
Barbara
i love that you put it in sushi! who’da thunk? i’m going to have to wait for it to get a little colder here in the midwest before I order some. i’ve been meaning to make feta, just too lazy!
Thanks for making me aware of these great products, Hannah. I love flavored tofus and these vegan cheeses look just as delectable as their non-vegan counterparts, especially as part of your creations.
[…] other day and came across some wonderful information on soy feta by Sunergia posted by Hannah of Bitter Sweet. I so enjoy the taste of a good feta AND it was soy! I went crazy looking for a source to […]
Wow, I just recently tried their bleu (with a vegan cheese tasting I had for Bastille Day)! It had a definite unmistakable bleu-cheesy taste, but I thought it was just OK. But I had a LOT of Danish blue as a kid, so I was comparing it to that.