Tofu

A Tofu in local market at Hong Kong

Tofu being prepared with vegetables.

Tofu (豆腐), sometimes called doufu (usually used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (literal translation), is a food made from soybeans. In fact, it is a very complex process. Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk into curds. The soy curds are then pressed into blocks. Making tofu from soy milk is similar to making cheese from milk. Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called "tofu" in Asian or vegetarian dishes.

China

China has more kinds of tofu than Japan and various tofu foods.

Japan

In Japan, tofu is a common food, used often in miso soup or as a hot dish. People in Japan has created various kinds of tofu. One of them is 絹こし豆腐 (or soft tofu), 木綿豆腐 (or firm tofu, or solid tofu) and "凍み豆腐" (or dried tofu). It is said that the way to make tofu from soybeans was taught by the Chinese a several hundreds years ago. you can find its very first history in a diary of 奈良春日大社 in 1183 of the Heian period.

America

In the United States, tofu is becoming more popular. Today, Americans buy tofu at the grocery store. The word “tofu” takes root in common use.

Others

In South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia, tofu is daily food.

Nutrition

Tofu is rich in protein and is relatively low in calories. Dietary fiber is a little for process. More and more Americans and Europeans use it as health food.

Popular tofu dishes

• Cold tofu
• Boiled tofu
• Sukiyaki
• Hot dish
• Oden