Nooch (nutritional yeast)

“Nooch” is slang for “nutritional yeast,” a popular vegan nutritional supplement and cheese substitute. “Nooch” is cited in print from at least 2005 and was either coined or popularized by the New York City-based website Post Punk Kitchen.
 
A New York City restaurant called “Nooch” is located at 143 Eighth Avenue, at 17th Street in Manhattan. It is an Asian restaurant and the restaurant name is probably not related to nutritional yeast.
 
   
Wikipedia: Nutritional yeast
Nutritional yeast, similar to brewer’s yeast, is a nutritional supplement popular with vegans and the health conscious, who use it as an ingredient in recipes or simply as a condiment. It is a deactivated yeast, usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses, then harvesting, washing, drying and packaging the yeast. It is commercially available in the form of flakes, or as a yellow powder similar in texture to cornmeal, and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores.
 
It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium. Some brands of nutritional yeast, though not all, are fortified with vitamin B12. The vitamin B12 is produced separately from bacteria and then added to the yeast.
 
Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of parmesan cheese. Another popular use is as a topping for popcorn. Some movie theaters offer it along with salt or cayenne pepper as a popcorn condiment.
 
In Australia it is sometimes sold as “savoury yeast flakes.” In Canada it has been known to be called “good tasting yeast”. In New Zealand, it has long been known as Brufax. Though “nutritional yeast” usually refers to commercial products, inadequately fed prisoners of war have used “home-grown” yeast to prevent vitamin deficiency. Nutritional yeast is different from yeast extract, which has a very strong flavour and comes in the form of a dark brown paste. Other strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are commonly used for making beer, wine, and bread.
   
About.com: Vegetarian Food
Nutritional yeast
By Jolinda Hackett, About.com
Definition: Yellow in color and with a nutty cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is a favorite amongst many vegans because of its unique flavor and similarity to cheese when added to foods. Sprinkle some on hot popcorn or garlic bread, or add a generous spoonful to a stir fry or pasta sauce. Nutritional yeast is also the only reliable food source of vitamin B12, so if you’re vegan, it’s a good idea to add some to your food regularly. Nutritional yeast can be found in the bulk foods or supplement section of your health food store.
   
Urban Dictionary
nooch
Nutritional yeast, the pungent yellow vitamin B-12-filled flakes loved by vegans everywhere. It tastes delicious in cheezy sauces and many other dishes. The term “nooch” was coined by the PPK.
Oh no, I’m out of nooch! However will I make macaroni and cheeze? 
by xGarrickx Aug 8, 2007
 
nooch
Nutritional yeast, a cornerstone of the vegan diet.
Mmm, nooch noodles in salt sauce.
by amaeve Aug 6, 2007
 
New York Magazine Restaurant Guide
Nooch
143 Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10011
at 17th St.  See Map | Subway Directions
212-691-8600 Send to Phone
Price Range: $-$$
Reader Rating: 5.7 out of 10
Cuisine: Japanese/Sushi, Thai
       
BlueSky5
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
pretty sure.
(...)
Nooch. Jamie, I think Nooch is more correct than “nuch” is. “Jamie” is pretty much my pusher when it comes to nooch, and when I write nooch I mean nutritional yeast, which we are currently trying to figure out a way to freebase because drinking it in gravy form just isn’t enough right now.
fuck. fuck that nooch. Nooch is almost “hooch” which would make nooch what alcohol was in the twentieth century in the twenty first century. did that make sense? 
   
Emufarm29 (Livejournal)
Jordie. (emufarm29) wrote,
@ 2005-10-10 20:10:00
p.s. i just macgyvered up some nooch yeast pasta without the so called “necessary ingredients” to the cheese sauce. i just boiled ramen, didnt use the packet, left a little water in, added a smidge of olive oil, some nutritional yeast, a lot of garlic salt, and some chili powder. and it was DAMN good.
 
Post Punk Kitchen Forums
IsaChandra
Wed 1/18/06 11:08 am
I’ve called it “newt” since I was a teenager. I’m tempted to call it that when I write about it but I worry that no one will know what I’m talking about. Did anyone else call it “newt” or anything else?
(...)
Eppy
Wed 1/18/06 11:23 am
I used to call it cheast when I put it on popcorn, just to scare other people away from my popcorn.
(...)
Ijustdiedinside
Wed 1/18/06 11:24 am
I just call it Nut Yeast, but thats not really a nickname
(...)
codejill
Wed 1/18/06 11:33 am
I’m thinking of going with “newty”
(...)
valerie
Wed 1/18/06 9:29 pm
i call it nutriyeast.  because it sounds like a brand name, but it’s not, and i like to make fun of brand names.
(...)
cordelia frances
Wed 1/18/06 10:35 pm
i call it neat-o.
sprinkle on some neat-o, asap!
(...)
giantsloths
Thu 1/19/06 12:44 pm
in my house the stuff has become known as…
 
fluff powder!!!!
 
which is also often shortened to,
“honey don’t forget to put the fluff on the popcorn/veggie burger/salad/tofu/etc.”
(...)
aardvark
Thu 1/19/06 8:13 pm
nut yeast
(...)
TofuForBrains
Sun 1/22/06 6:52 pm
I don’t like “newt” for some reason, maybe because i used to have a companion animal newt and he died a very sad death whilst attempting to explore the world far, far away from the aquarium (made it all the way down the hall and down three carpeted stairs before expiring from dehydration, sniff).
 
i’ve recently taken to calling it “nooch” though.  Like, as in, Jay & Silent Bob’s “snooch to the nooch.”  rolls off the tongue.
(...)
afoolsays
Wed 3/1/06 3:36 pm
i like nooch.
(...)
Jeff
Mon 6/19/06 7:40 pm
I am so glad this thread showed back up with some new posts, or I would forever be wondering what the hell nooch was.  That said, now that I am in the know, I fully support “nooch” as the shorter name for nutritional yeast.  “Nutritional Yeast” sounds really gross.
   
A day in the life of a vegan
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Random Thoughts + Pictures + Links
In case anyone was wondering, Rachel is still working at the health food store. In fact, today was her one year anniversary working for the store. Go Rachel! I’m just not blogging about what she brings home, although I’m still using the produce and other foods she brings home.As an example of a normal meal I bring you my breakfast and dinner. Today for breakfast I had scrambled tofu made from onions, extra virgin olive oil, organic extra firm tofu*, nooch (nutritional yeast), organic garlic*, shoyu, mustard, spices and seasoning, and organic baby spinach*.
       
vegan*core
Tempeh Gravy and Mac & Nooch
(...)
Ellen’s Macaroni and “Cheese” from Get Sconed!. I was a little skeptical about this, because the first nutritional yeasty cheez sauce that I had was that Road’s End Mac and Chreese, which tastes like cardboard and sweaty feet. I was hoping this would prove more successful, and of course it did. Next time I’ll add more garlic powder and more salt, but overall it was really tasty. And super simple to make, which is always a plus. It was great with some broccoli thrown in, but tomorrow I think I’m going to get a little adventurous with the leftovers.
Posted by Amanda on August 27, 2006 at 11:53 PM
   
Post Punk Kitchen Forums
Allasofia
Wed 11/29/06 4:37 pm
So I tried nutritional yeast for the first time…I sprinkled it over some popcorn and was majorly disappointed.  It didn’t seem to have a strong flavor (like I was expecting) at all.  Was it because there was also salt in the popcorn?

I was really hoping that it would be delicious.  In my pre-vegan days (which were not that long ago), cheese was my favourite food.  Now I’m sort of depressed.
(...)
Pamela
Wed 11/29/06 4:45 pm
Nooch is good mixed in things. Ilike it on popcorn but that’s because I actually LIKE it like it. It’s one of those things that grows on you.
   
Google Books
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Published by Basic Books
2007
Pg. 9:
Nutritional yeast: Not to be confused with brewer’s yeast or any other kind of yeast, “nooch” (as we call it) is great to add an umami (savory) taste to sauces or just to sprinkle on rice and beans.
 
Google Books
Cozy Inside:
Delicious & Comforting Cruelty Free Recipes
By Joni Marie Newman
Published by Lulu.com
2007
Pg. 27:
a word about nutritional yeast
the nooch.
 
i thought i had died and gone to heaven when i finally discovered this mystical “hippie dust” in the vitamin aisle of the health food store.
     
Post Punk Kitchen Forums
supercarrot
Fri 2/2/07 7:58 pm
juliagulia wrote:
I had NEVER heard it called nooch until I joined this forum.
 
that’s cause we coined it here.
   
Tryin’ to keep the glass half full.
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Nooch
Nutritional Yeast!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast
Posted by jonimarie at 10:57 AM