Tofu Culture in China
Tofu is a kind of Chinese food which is known around the world. The process of making tofu is easy. It is made from soybean, water and a coagulant(凝结剂). People coagulate soybean milk, and then press the resulting mixture into pieces.
Tofu is said to originate in the Western Han dynasty. At the time, Liu An, a grandson of Emperor Liu Bang, was thirsty for learning the magical art of living forever, so he went deep into a mountain to make magic pills(药丸). He failed in his efforts to produce the pills. Instead, he created a white and soft material with a pleasant smell. The brave local people tried the product, and found it delicious. And it was named "tofu". Liu An became an unexpected inventor of tofu, and his hometown, Shou County of Anhui Province, has been known as the "hometown of tofu".
Simple in production and cheap in cost, tofu soon became people's favorite food. After the Song dynasty, the culture of tofu spread even further. Many famous people also took part in spreading the culture. Su Dongpo, a great poet of the Northern Song dynasty, had a special liking for tofu and invented a tofu dish called Dongpo tofu. Poet Lu You of the Southern Song dynasty also recorded the preparation of tofu dishes in his work. More interesting is a record about tofu and Emperor Kangxi from the Qing dynasty. When in Suzhou on his tour to South China, Emperor Kangxi didn't give gold to his high officials, but tofu dishes.
As tofu culture has spread far and wide, people in different areas have continuously developed the recipes of tofu dishes according to their own tastes, such as Mapo tofu, stinky tofu. Simple though tofu is, it can be made into a table of Chinese dishes complete with beautiful colors, sweet smells, and delicious tastes.
Today, tofu and its related products have become common foods for Chinese people. It is a necessary dish on the dinner table during the Chinese lunar New Year, because it sounds like "福", the word for "good luck" in Chinese. Just as the saying goes, "Tofu, tofu, a mouthful of ‘Fu'".
*Su Dongpo invented a tofu dish called Dongpo tofu. *Lu You recorded theof tofu dishes in his work. *Kangxi gave his high officials tofu dishes of gold when in Suzhou on his tour to South China. *People in different areas have continuously the recipes of tofu dishes that are based their own tastes. *People can make a table of tofu dishes complete with beautiful colors, sweet , and delicious tastes. *Tofu is a dish on the New Year's dinner table because it has the same as the word "fu" in Chinese. |
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