In modern English, “ersatz” is an adjective to describe a replacement or something that’s not real, but in the original German, it’s a noun that just means “replacement.” It was the name given to products developed during food shortages; for example, a grain deficit found German bakers making loaves of “Ersatzbrot,” or bread with potato flour. Today, there’s a rapidly growing market for ersatz meat products. Beyond Meat and Impossible burgers have recently earned praise for being nearly indistinguishable from real beef. Ersatz meat is now found at almost all grocery stores, and in restaurants ranging from fast food to high-end.