Moralistic dairy abstainers have been searching for a tolerable vegan cheese product since the animal-free lifestyle was invented in the 1940s. Now many of them seem to think they’ve finally found it: Daiya.

As I reported earlier, the ingredients of this cheese imitation are:

Purified water, natural whole ground cassava/tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, high oleic sunflower and/or safflower and/or identity preserved high oleic canola oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, natural flavors (derived from plants), xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, natural vegan enzymes, natural vegan bacterial cultures, citric acid, natural color.

Who would have pegged those for the magical ingredients to make a convincing cheese-like substance? Well, Canada’s Daiya Corporation, Inc., which is why they make the big loonies. Stores in the United States that sell it charge at least $9.99 a pound for it, and still they have trouble keeping it in stock.

As excited as vegans are about this, though, many of them barely seem to enjoy it. This isn’t too surprising, since Daiya is basically oily arrowroot powder. And though vegans train themselves to settle for less, they do ultimately have taste buds.

It may seem strange that they are going bankrupt to buy mountains of Daiya anyway, but it’s vegan product innovations like this that keep them going. They are supposed to like this, and they desperately want to like this, so they are willing to mostly overlook inconvenient issues of taste and digestion. Few omnivores would be so ambivalent about a product yet keep going back for more. But omnivores have choices.

I know that if I were still vegan, I too would be excited to try Daiya, and then would be just as willing to forgive.

CSA Delivery: “Is it cheese? No. Is it the best vegan cheese I have ever had after eating them for 13 years? DAMN STRAIGHT.”

L.A. Vegan Examiner: “The cheese pulled and stretched and had almost the exact consistency of its cruel counterpart.”

VeganBride: “I’ve tried mozzarella Daiya and was SHOCKED by how well it melted!! I didn’t LOVE the TASTE of it though…:( it DID taste like cheese…just not mozzarella, maybe some other kind like muenster or something?? (It also reminded me of the cheese that used to be on frozen pizzas or pizza you’d get at the county fair.) But nonetheless, aside from the exact flavor, I was so encouraged to happen upon a vegan cheese that actually behaved like CHEESE!”

vegansaurus commenters: “Patricia: I had some vegan pizza with Daiya a few days ago. This cheese is as amazing as everyone reports. HOWEVER…the next day i had stomach cramps and couldn’t keep my ass off the toilet. I’m curious to know if anyone else has a hard time digesting this stuff. Or maybe i had some bad veggies? Daiya is now being served in quite a few restaurants in my area and i would love to be able to eat it. But not if this is the price I pay. Anyone else get sick?”

“Sarah: I had this problem too, but I still loved the cheese so i’ll try it again soon. I’m also hoping it was just a fluke.”

Livin’ Veg: “Daiya cheese is by far the tastiest vegan cheese I’ve tried. It melts, has stretch, and offers a creamy texture. I also think that even though Daiya cheese is really good, I would not want to order a plain pizza of it.”

Veganmomma: “So, it wasn’t as awesome as I thought it was going to be, but it passes. Oh, and I tried some melted on my pasta today and I liked it. So that is my review. Also, good news to me was that the pizza chain zpizza will be using Daiya cheese now.”

Vegan Dance If You Want To: “The Daiya cheese is almost buttery and tastes shockingly like cheese.”

Raspberry Swirl: “The only minor complaint I have about Daiya is that the two flavors kinda taste the same to me. But both taste great, so whatever!”

grass console: “At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, the degree to which Daiya melts/integrates itself with the pizza’s toppings & sauce is unparalled in the vegan cheese world. I’m talking complete and total melting, no pieces of shaved, slightly runny cheese (sorry Teese, I still love you) – totally gooey full on melt!”

The Mouse Pad: “But melting isn’t the only thing. The taste is a big factor. If you really like cheese, the good stuff - the sharp taste of cheddar, or the creamy smokey taste of brie - well you won’t get that. But if you thought Velveeta tasted good or ‘American Cheese Singles’ were a good snack, then this is the stuff for you. Of course if you have eaten the other stuff or even tried Chreese, then this stuff will AMAZE YOU!!!”

just the food: “It retails for $9.99 per pound around here, and I got a pretty decent amount for about $5. I bought both the white (Italian Style) and the yellow (Cheddar Style) and honestly, I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two taste-wise, but, guess what? IT MELTS AND STRETCHES!!! And it tastes pretty good to boot.”

Beans and Greens: “While it still has a slightly funny vegan cheese flavor, it is much better than most. Overall: B++. If they could get rid of that slight vegan cheese flavor that they all seem to have, I’ll up my grade to an A+. And yes, I will be ordering lots more of this.”

¡Yo Soy!: “I am struggling to find the words to describe the sheer awesomeness of Daiya, but I feel that any description I could come up with would be inadequate. Let’s just say Daiya cheese on a pizza rocks my world. Oddly though, Daiya also has a tendency to stick to one’s teeth, but it is extremely minimal—nothing like the adhesive bond that Teese seems to possess.”

Epicurious Vegan: “It’s true: It melts! So how is it? The taste—hmmm. I think it’s about on par, maybe a little better, than Follow Your Heart cheese. But it does melt a little more, which means when it’s available at more places, I’ll definitely look to incorporate it in a few recipes.”

Sick of Lettuce: “I don’t know what it is about things like a new vegan cheese but I suddenly feel the need to use it in everything possible, not because I missed cheese, just because I can.”

Disposable Aardvarks: “While Daiya has won awards and rave reviews, I still found the taste rather plastic-like and the smell bizarre. But it did indeed melt. And it melted quickly and easily, unlike most non-dairy cheeses on the market. The kids loved it, and once I got used to the taste I was happy to have more…it’s just not something I’d sit down and eat plain. I’m hopeful with such a great base, that they will be able to improve the flavors over time.”

Vegtastic Voyage: “It’s worth a try.”