Seitan is a chewy, protein-rich meat substitute made from wheat gluten — the elastic network of protein that remains when the starch and bran are washed out of wheat dough, leaving a springy, dense mass with a satisfyingly meaty texture. Known in China as mian jin ("dough tendon") and in Japan by the name seitan that the wider world now uses, it is an old East Asian staple long central to Buddhist temple cooking, and in recent decades it has become one of the best-loved plant proteins of Western vegetarian and vegan kitchens. Plain seitan is mild, faintly savoury and grain-like, a near-blank slate that drinks up whatever broth, soy sauce or spice it is simmered in; its real virtue is the firm, resilient, fibrous bite that shreds and slices like meat, which is why it is braised, roasted, fried and grilled as a stand-in for beef, chicken and pork.