Arby's announces the first of its line of 'Megetables:' The 'Marrot'

WTF?! It looks like a carrot; it tastes like a carrot; but it's not a carrot. In a move that is almost assured to have vegans calling for a boycott of the chain, Arby's has invented a vegetable made of meat.

Fast food restaurants, such as Burger King, have been introducing meatless meat substitutes made from vegetables to their menus. In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek response, "we have the meats" Arby's has unveiled the first vegetable-less vegetable made from meat.

Broadly termed "Megetables," its first foray is a carrot made from turkey it calls a "Marrot." Invented by Arby's Vice President of Culinary Innovation, the Marrot takes a turkey breast and transforms it into something that looks, and reportedly tastes like carrots. It contains 30 grams of protein, plus all the nutrients found in a carrot including 70 percent of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A.

The process, which Arby's demonstrates in the video above, involves cutting and shaping the turkey breast into several carrot shapes. The meat is wrapped in cheesecloth and plastic wrap then pre-cooked using sous-vide. The turkey-carrots are rolled in powdered carrot juice and then roasted for one hour.

"Plant-based meats are the latest incarnation of making vegetables look like what Americans really want, which is great, tasty meat," said Arby's Chief Marketing Officer Jim Taylor in a press release from parent company Inspire Brands. "Universally, people know we're supposed to eat vegetables every day. But 90 percent of American's don't eat the recommended amount. So we said if others can make meat out of vegetables, why can't we make vegetables out of meat?"

If you would like to try a delicious Marrot, you'll either have to attempt to replicate it yourself or wait. Arby's says that the product is currently in early development and is not for purchase. It also plans to create other meat-based vegetable substitutes, but I'm still not convinced that it isn't just an elaborate publicity stunt. Of course, that is what I thought of the Impossible Whopper at first too.