Legend of Tofu
Tofu is one of the healthy foods on our table and just like other soy-based foods, tofu contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies can't make on their own [1]. Tofu is prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the tofu curds into solid white blocks of different firmness levels. At Superior Natural, we provide you endless possibilities with our Tofu products. Our tofu ranges from silken, soft, firm and even extra firm but do you know how tofu was invented?
Theories of Origin
The most popular legend about tofu is that Liu An, the king of Huainan in the Han Dynasty, who lived in the southeast part of north China from 179-122 BC, invented tofu. It is said that Liu An, who was obsessed with alchemy for immortality, inadvertently dripped brine into soy milk when he was concocting alchemy in Bagong Mountain, Anhui Province. Because of that accident, the earliest type of tofu in human history was born. [2]
Another theory suggests that tofu was discovered by accident when boiling a slurry of ground soybeans mixed with impure sea salt. The sea salt contained calcium and magnesium salts that caused the soy mixture to coagulate and create a tofu-like gel.
The last group of theories maintains that the ancient Chinese learned the method for curdling soy milk by emulating the milk curdling techniques of the Mongolians or East Indians. [6]
Tofu Spreading Throughout the World
In China’s tofu culture, the tofu poetry serves as a beautiful cultural corridor, carrying the historical development and inheritance of tofu for more than 2000 years. The tofu poetry in the Song Dynasty is unique because of its large quantity and far-reaching influence. According to scholars, the tofu poetry in the Song Dynasty can be classified into four categories: poems that record tofu delicacies, poems that record tofu names, poems that record tofu’s inheritance, and poems that record tofu’s origin. However, Southern Song Confucian master Zhu Xi’s poem “Doufu” (tofu in Chinese) has the greatest impact on tofu origin- Huainan, province of Anhui. The translation of this poem “Doufu” has great significance and value as it is the first poem connecting tofu and its developer king of Huainan. [3] You can read the poem below.
Tofu
By Zhu Xi (Sothern Song Dynasty)
Beans are sown, but sparsely grown,
Farmers in a sweat, sigh, and moan.
Had they known the Huainan Tofu skill earlier,
They would readily earn money easier.
-Tofu was introduced to Japan in the Tang Dynasty. During monk Jianzhen’s east journey, in addition to the spreading the Buddhism, he also introduced the technology of making tofu to Japan.
-Tofu was introduced to Korea during the Song Dynasty and became widely used from the 15th century.
-In 1665, the Dominican missionary Domingo Fernández de Navarrete, first wrote about tofu in his book: A Collection of Voyages and Travels. This is the first-time tofu was mentioned in a western book. It briefly noted that “from the emperor to the common people, tofu is widely eaten by all classes”.
-It was not until the 19th century that tofu was introduced to Europe, Africa, America and other regions and countries.
- In the middle and late 20th century, with the frequent and more in-depth of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, as well as the rise of vegetarianism and healthy eating concepts in Europe and the United States, tofu began to become popular in the West. In 1992, Thailand's "Sing Siam Daily" published an article noting that Tofu is one of the "Four Great Inventions" of Chinese food together with bean paste, soy milk and bean sprouts. [5]
We hope you enjoyed learning the secrets behind the legend of tofu with us today. Stay up to date with Superior Natural by scanning the QR code below to follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Stay healthy and stay tuned!
References:
[1] https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/benefits-tofu
[2] http://m.qulishi.com/article/202104/500862.html
[3] https://chinaicons.com/2016/10/19/legends-of-tofu/
[4] https://www.soyinfocenter.com/chronologies_of_soyfoods-tofu.php
