Meat spaghetti is a type of pasta product that is created with the use of meat. Essentially, the meat goes through a process that results in the formation of long strands of a pasta-like product. Like wheat and vegetable pastas, meat pasta can be boiled or baked to soften the texture.
The creation of meat spaghetti took place as a result of experiments conducted during 2008. Conducted under the auspices of AgResearch, located in New Zealand, the discovery of the process for turning meat into a pasta-like food is attributed to one of the scientist working for the entity. According to information released by the company, Mustafa Farouk was conducting tests to evaluate the binding nature of meat. The testing led to the creation of long strands of meat that could be cooked just like spaghetti.
One of the purported advantages of meat spaghetti is that the dried meat product contains a high amount of protein. The idea is that this new type of protein pasta could be prepared and served to people who are not fond of consuming meats such as beef. Because the protein-enriched spaghetti can help to provide a healthy dose of protein in the diet, using the meat spaghetti in place of wheat based pasta can help to ensure that even picky eaters have enough protein each day.
Proponents of meat spaghetti focus on the fact that children sometimes are not fond of consuming meat, but often will readily consume pasta. By creating the pasta product with beef, sheep or other meats that bind well in this process, it is possible to ensure children obtain not only a equitable amount of protein, but also iron and other nutrients that are important to the early development of bones and muscle.
Because meat spaghetti is a dried meat product, it does not have to be refrigerated before cooking. Like other dried meat products such as jerky, meat spaghetti can be stored in a cupboard or pantry for several months. As of August 2008, there were no actual meat spaghetti products available to the general public. However, AgResearch in New Zealand hopes to generate enough interest in the concept to entice at least a couple of food manufacturers to produce and package meat spaghetti for sale in supermarkets.
