豆腐 / Tofu is one of the important ingredients in Japanese cuisine.
As well as being a foodstuff, it is a convenient food that is edible in its original state.
Furthermore, the soya beans from which tofu is made are rich in proteins, plant fibres, isoflavones and oligosaccharides, all of which are necessary for maintaining good health.
It is a very useful food because it has so many nutrients, is low in calories and, in addition, lowers blood cholesterol.
Although Japanese cuisine was mentioned at the beginning of this article, it is estimated that tofu probably originated in ancient China. Over time, it spread from East Asia to regions in South-East Asia and has become a traditional foodstuff in many regions.
The name ‘tofu’ was probably named in China more than a thousand years ago.
The character for ‘豆’ in ‘豆腐’ means bean and the character for ‘腐’ means fermentation.
However, tofu that includes the process of fermentation is rather a minority, and there is hardly any ‘fermented tofu’ among the tofu commonly available in Japan.
Chinese Annin-Dofu
Theories as to why it has letters relating to ‘fermentation’ are not settled, such as ‘it was made to resemble the cheese made by the northern peoples of the continent in ancient times’ or ‘the letter “rot” originally referred to something soft’.
Do you know how tofu is made?
The juice from boiled soya beans is squeezed out of a cloth bag, which is called soymilk. In Japan, the type of cloth used in this process divides the resulting tofu into two broad categories.
Momen” is a slightly firm tofu made by pressing with cotton bags. It is used in many tofu dishes, including hot-pot dishes.
Kinu-goshi” is a soft, smooth tofu made by squeezing through a silk bag. It is often used in freshly prepared one-dish dishes.
As the soya milk is still liquid, a natural coagulant called ‘Nigari’ is added to it to firm it up. After adjusting the water content and going through a cutting process, the tofu is ready.
Surprisingly simple, isn’t it? But because the process is so simple, the production method requires many years of experience and intuition, and it is said that even amateurs cannot produce a decent product.
The reason why tofu developed in East Asia is because the raw material, the soya bean, is native to East Asia and the soil was suitable for its development.
Chinese tofu was already introduced to Europe by missionaries in the 17th century, but it did not spread, partly because of differences in food preferences and partly because soya was difficult to adapt to European soil.
In the 20th century, soya was finally planted and produced in Europe and the USA, but at that time it was still produced for ‘soya oil’. In addition, the leftover waste after the oil was pressed was used as livestock feed, so people in the West did not have a good image of processed soya foods.
This trend changed in the late 1990s. Japanese manufacturers launched a sales offensive in Western countries to promote tofu as a low-calorie, yet healthy food.
Tofu and other processed soya bean products gained recognition as healthy foods in countries where the rise in obesity, diabetes and cerebral thrombosis, caused by changing lifestyles and the rise in junk food, were becoming social problems.
Tofu today has diversified into many different forms. Originally described as ‘meat of the field’ due to its high nutritional value, it was actually realised as a ‘meat substitute’ in the 1990s.
Since then, the benefits of tofu have been utilised in the development of ‘noodle type’, ‘rice grain type’ and ‘snack bar type’ products.
Tofu is now recognised in many countries along with ‘Japanese food’.
Today, many tourists visiting Japan have made Japanese food one of their travel objectives, or tofu dishes.
Japanese restaurants are also catering to this international clientele with delicious Japanese food and attentive service.
However, there are occasionally cases where the pricing of some dishes seems out of line.
For example, ‘yudofu（boiled tofu）’ is the most basic of all tofu dishes – in other words, it is a simple dish made by boiling tofu and a few other ingredients in broth. At USD 50-80, it is probably too expensive.
The cost of making ‘yudofu’ at home is probably less than a tenth of that. For at least the last 300 years or so, it has been a food and meal for the common man, which could be procured cheaply for its high nutritional value.
Of course, we understand that a reasonable price should be charged for food made with carefully selected ingredients and craftsmanship, but we think that setting prices too high is a form of cheating people.
It is natural to want to enjoy a certain amount of luxury when travelling, but everything should be done in moderation. When choosing a Japanese restaurant, be sure to examine it carefully…