Why do people in China like tofu?

If you ask a China person who has just lived in Europe and America, what ingredients are common in China but hard to buy in local supermarkets? You may hear their cry from the soul-"Tofu is so hard to buy!"

I really think they can't stand tofu. After all, in China, the earliest literature about tofu appeared in the Five Dynasties. In Gu Tao's Qing Louis, it was mentioned that "there are several kinds of tofu in the Japanese market, and the city people call tofu a small slaughter sheep", which shows that tofu was already a "hot commodity" in Huainan area at that time. At the same time, the local people compare tofu with mutton, and the charm of tofu can be seen.

Scholars from all over the world can't miss this "hot dish". Lu You wrote in Notes of Old Xuegong: "Jiaxing people ... opened a bean curd soup shop". When he met delicious Su Shi, he even made bean curd soup himself, and wrote a poem, "Boil beans to make paste crisp, and fuel candles to pour honey wine."

Today, this mysterious food from the East "blooms many times" in China. People all over the country make tofu with different flavors according to local raw materials and local tastes. According to the different ways of ordering, it can be roughly divided into: brine tofu, gypsum tofu, sour tofu and lactone tofu.

1. "Iron Man" tofu can also give you tenderness.

Brine tofu is collectively called brine tofu. This kind of bean curd is slightly yellow in color, strong in hardness, elasticity and toughness, and common in the north, so it will also be called "North Bean Curd" and "Old Bean Curd".

One side of the soil and water raises one side of people, and one side of the soil and water also produces one side of tofu.

In Mohe, the winter of MINUS 50 degrees Celsius failed to resist the northeast people's enthusiasm for tofu. Although the weather in Mohe is cold, the soil there is a "natural pure land" with little pollution. Mohe tofu made of early-maturing soybeans planted in such an environment may also have a frosty "toughness" and is often used in stews. If the weather is cold in the middle of winter, you can have a meal of stewed tofu with cod, which seems to dispel the cold all year round.

In Gaoxian County, Sichuan Province, far from the north, there is also a kind of salted tofu-Shahe tofu. The water used to make tofu here is the mountain spring of Shanglong Mountain, and the brine is the rock salt deep in the mountains. These two "sharp tools" contributed to Shahe tofu becoming the "sunflower collection" of tofu. Shahe tofu pays attention to a "heavy" word: heavy oil and heavy materials. Stir-fry tofu with enough watercress, garlic, onions, etc. Tofu fully absorbs the flavor and fragrance of seasoning, and it is crisp outside and tender inside, fresh and attractive.

Another typical dish is "stuffed tofu", which is a famous Hakka dish and has also formed a special flavor in Shahe. Put the minced meat into the thin piece of Shahe tofu one inch square, which can be fried, braised or hot pot. Meat, tofu and spices will roll in the pot and bite down. Meat and tofu blend together, and their fragrance, freshness, crispness and spiciness reflect each other, which will definitely make you bow to your knees.

There is also a masterpiece of tofu with a strong taste-Mapo tofu, which cannot be separated from salty tofu. Many chefs think that authentic Mapo tofu can only be made with salted tofu. This spicy, spicy, spicy and salty dish has now crossed the ocean and become an international famous dish. Practices vary from place to place, but some people still miss the taste of salty tofu surrounded by white powder and decorated with pepper powder and sesame oil.

Lao She has a soft spot for Beijing old tofu, which is described in Camel Xiangzi. Xiangzi escaped from outside the city. The first thing he ate was the old tofu on the bridge. Vinegar, soy sauce, Chili oil and leek powder mixed with the smell of tofu, which made Xiangzi hold his breath. After eating a bowl, his waist and trousers were soaked. He quickly said, "Another bowl!" "

2. Soft, tough and hairy

Compared with salted tofu, gypsum tofu with gypsum as coagulant will wrap more water in tofu, so its water content is higher, so it will be called "South Tofu" and "Tender Tofu".

In some southern areas, it is also the first choice to stew crucian carp with gypsum tofu. Not only is fish fresh and bean fresh a natural pair, but when the fiber feeling of fish and the elastic and slippery feeling of tofu are eaten at the same time, there is an unspeakable happiness. If the ingredients and tofu taste the best, then crab roe must be mixed with a foot. In crab yolk tofu, "frosted" crab yolk and "polished" tofu form a gorgeous balance, which is simply a great harmony between foods.

Although the statement that "the method of tofu began with Liu An, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty" is not reliable, the gypsum tofu in Bagongshan, Huainan, Anhui Province is very reliable. "White as jade, delicate if frozen, fresh and delicious, fragrant and delicious" is the world's praise for Bagongshan tofu.

In modern times, China "saved" Denmark by eating grain. I didn't expect that there was "tofu diplomacy" in ancient times. In the Tang Dynasty, tofu making technology was introduced to Japan with Jian Zhen's eastward crossing, and now it has become a part of Japanese food culture. If you look carefully, there will be some words on some Japanese tofu products, such as "Tang Chuan dried tofu, Huainan guild hall system".

Bagongshan tofu has "three soups": "drift soup", that is, tofu does not sink soup; "Milk soup", the soup cooked with this tofu is milky white; "Artificial chicken soup" means it tastes really good. The Bagongshan Tofu Banquet is even more exaggerated. The continuous tofu dishes will definitely impact your vision and taste.

Anhui tofu can really compete in the province, which is also a province that can't live without tofu, and even the dietary customs of festivals in some areas are related to tofu. For example, in yi county, Huangshan, Laba tofu is eaten on Laba Festival. This kind of tofu is lovely in shape, mostly round with a slight depression in the middle. More interestingly, this kind of tofu, like dried fish, needs to be dried with salt. But because of this, the water in tofu is evaporated, making it hard and chewy, and the added star anise and pepper are more fragrant and make it last longer.

The famous one is Huizhou hairy tofu. As the name implies, tofu is hairy, which is edible mushroom shreds formed by adding some molds after fresh tofu is made. According to the length of mycelium, it can be divided into tiger skin, mouse hair, rabbit hair and cotton hair. Because of fermentation, hairy tofu has its own smelly taste, which enables people to find it immediately and accurately. It is said that "you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry", but hairy tofu must be eaten while it is hot, and it is best to eat it while frying. The fluffy and crisp outer skin and solid and dense inner pulp capture a lot of "brain powder".

3. Do you like the "strange" tofu?

Sour tofu is a bit unique in tofu. Its coagulant is the juice discharged after tofu is made, which naturally ferments to form sour pulp water, so sour pulp tofu can be said to be a kind of green tofu. This kind of tofu is mostly amber, white and yellow in color, good in toughness and hard in texture.

For Weichuan tofu in Kaifeng, Henan, "hemp rope wears tofu-it can't be lifted" is not applicable. If you are in a stall selling Weichuan tofu in the market, you may see that you can hook the tofu with a scale and weigh it, then tie it up with hemp rope and carry it away. The most famous way of Weichuan tofu is to stew tofu with mutton. The long mutton flavor and rich bean flavor make your chopsticks stop.

"You don't need brine and gypsum to order tofu." One of the "three monsters" in Yulin is Shaanxi Yulin tofu. According to legend, when Kangxi passed Yulin, he was conquered by a "spinach stewed with tofu", which was called "fragrant white jade board, red mouth and green Ying Ge". In order to taste the original flavor of tofu, Yulin tofu is often used to make shallot tofu. Tofu and chopped green onion snuggle up to each other, with a green and white beauty; Tofu is accompanied by the fragrance of sesame oil, slightly spicy and sweet, and can also eat a touch of happiness.

When it comes to yogurt tofu, we have to mention Shiping tofu in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Shiping tofu, one of the eighteen eccentrics in Yunnan, is also on sale. Its "sour pulp" is a bit magical, coming from an acid well. Shiping has a unique geographical location. There are several acid wells in the urban area near Yilong Lake, which can really be said to be a natural place.

Tofu exists as a side dish in many places, but Shiping Tofu is definitely in the C position. Therefore, the most common practice of Shiping tofu is to fry and bake it, and then eat it directly, and never abandon eating it with other ingredients. When you finish eating a chewy and fragrant piece of Shiping tofu, you will understand why so many people have a special liking for Shiping tofu.

4. Sweet and salty, watch me change seventy-two times.

In fact, lactone tofu is the most common figure in today's market, because the pulping technology with gluconic acid-δ-lactone as coagulant reduces the loss of protein in the process of tofu making and improves the utilization rate of soybean. This technology was invented in Japan and then introduced to China, which inspired various derivative practices in China.

Lactone tofu is more tender than tender tofu, but it is also more brittle. If you want to make a dish of "stylish" tofu, it will tell you what human suffering is.

Preserved egg tofu is a masterpiece of lactone tofu. But I just want to sigh, how can there be such a "fairy couple"? Preserved eggs with blown lactone tofu. If you sprinkle some chopped green onion and green pepper, the shape of the dish will not matter at this time. Just eat one after another.

This kind of tofu is so fancy that you can't believe it. When I saw spinach lactone tofu, radish lactone tofu and egg lactone tofu, I could understand that I was in poor health at the moment when cactus lactone tofu appeared. Did I eat without biting my mouth? The wisdom of the working people is really infinite, and China people can really eat anything.

In order to keep up with the trend, green tea lactone tofu came into being. The key to making this lactone tofu lies in the ratio of water, beans, tea juice and coagulant. A successful piece of green tea tofu will be given a new "soul" because of the addition of green tea and the unique tea fragrance.

The taste of tofu is really indescribable. Even the ancients can only say "Fried tofu with soybean oil is delicious". The regionality has left a deep impression on the flavor of tofu, such as the firewood flavor of Youxian tofu, the "Jianghu flavor" of Jiange tofu, the delicate feeling of Majin tofu and the ritual feeling of Hakka tofu ... So for many people, the taste of tofu is the taste of hometown.