Tofu

Tofu, made of soybean, is a traditional Chinese food known throughout the world.

Tofu is said to originate in the Western Han Dynasty. At the time, Liu An, the grandson of Emperor Liu Bang, was eager to learn the magical art of immortality, so he went deep into the mountain to refine immortal pills. He failed in his efforts to produce immortal elixirs, instead, a pile of white and tender material with enticing fragrance was produced after combining the bean juice with bittern. The brave local peasants tried to taste the product, only to find that it was delicious. And it was named “bean curd” or “tofu”. Liu An became an unexpected inventor of tofu, and his hometown, Shouxian County of Anhui Province, has been dubbed as “hometown of tofu”.

Simple in production and cheap in cost, tofu soon became people’s favorite delicacy. After the Song and Ming Dynasties, the culture of tofu spread even more widely. Many scholars and celebrities also took part in spreading the culture. The great writer of the Northern Song Dynasty Su Dongpo had a special fancy for tofu, and invented a tofu dish called Dongpo Tofu. The poet Lu Yiu of the Southern Song Dynasty also recorded the preparation of tofu dish in his anthology. More interesting is a record about tofu and Emperor Kangxi. When in Suzhou on his inspection tour to South China, Emperor Kangxi granted not gold, jade and curios to his high officials, but the dishes of tofu which were infused with a strong local flavor.

As tofu culture spread far and wide, people of different areas have continuously developed and enriched the recipes for the preparation of tofu dishes on the basis of their own tastes, such as Mapo tofu, stinky tofu, and uncongealed tofu pudding, etc. Simple as tofu is, it can be made into a table of Chinese dishes complete with beautiful color, sweet smell, and delicious taste.

Today, tofu and its derivative products has become a common food not only for Chinese people, it has gone abroad and become popular in the whole world. Tofu - the traditional Chinese food, has been universally acknowledged and favored as an ideal food for its high protein, low cholesterol, low heat, and low fat. It is said that as much as 95% of tofu can be digested and absorbed. Two small pieces of tofu can satisfy a person’s need of calcium for the day.