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Vegetarian option toasted over fire uneaten at first (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tofu

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'vegetarian option' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how one could define the other.

'toasted over fire uneaten at first' is the wordplay.
'at first' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letters of 'toasted over fire uneaten' is 'TOFU'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tofu that I've seen before include "non-meat protein" , "Substance used in vegetarian cookery" , "Unfermented soya bean curd" , "Food from bean curd" , "Unfermented soya-bean curd" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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