Soymilk made from cooked and crushed soybeans condenses into tofu, a simple food that should be publicized and reported more fairly. It is said that the most exquisite tofu comes from Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, so I went to Kyoto to better understand this kind of food as common as western cheese in Japanese diet.
Tofu is low in fat and calories, so it becomes a healthy substitute for meat. Because of its outstanding nutritional value, tofu is sometimes called "meat growing in the ground". Tofu is rich in high-quality soybean protein, and the contents of amino acids (making it easy to absorb), linoleic acid (helping cholesterol metabolism), vitamin B 1 and vitamin E are also very balanced.
The basic tofu making technology has hardly changed for hundreds of years, and the simple street tofu shop is a traditional scenery in Japan. However, in recent years, more and more Japanese people are used to buying mass-produced tofu from supermarkets, and it is more difficult to find a shop that still uses traditional tools, more importantly Japanese raw materials, to make tofu. However, in the old imperial palace in the center of Kyoto, the Rushan Tofu Shop (Iriyama)
Tofu), the early risers can also see two barrels of soybeans produced in Hokkaido steaming on the wood-burning earthen stove. Rushan family has been making tofu for neighbors since the first half of the19th century. Now the shop is still in the same old position, and the technology has basically not changed.
Rushan family 10 generation tofu people passed down to Rushan Guizhi (Takashi
Iriyama explained the importance of protecting family traditions while pouring tofu. We should use well water directly extracted from underground, insist on using non-GMO Japanese soybeans, and use nigari (bitter juice, that is, sea salt brine) as coagulant for light sweetness, although the effect may be unpredictable (especially in hot climate).
"If you cook beans in a clay oven, the fire will be slower," said your silver-haired old mother. She squatted on the footstool on the wet slate floor next to her son, weighing piles of okara(おから, bean curd residue, or bean skin filtered from soybean milk when making tofu.
She said that it is important for tofu shops to continue to sell along the street. Just like delivering milk door to door, it has almost become a community service. Gui Zhi also pulls an old black two-wheeled cart, just like his father and grandfather, and gives fresh tofu to the old and young, otherwise it may be difficult for those old people to go shopping.
No one knows when this food made of soybeans was introduced to Japan. Although the word "tofu" was first recorded in the Japanese historical materials of 1 182, it probably existed before that. From the 8th century to the end of the 9th century, Japanese sent a series of missions to China to learn from China's rich religious and cultural progress. It is almost certain that the technology of making tofu was introduced by Japanese monks who came to China or returned to China.
Tofu has been the food of the poor in China for centuries before it entered Japan. But in Japan, tofu is eaten first by the upper ruling class and Buddhist monks. Tofu has been preserved in palaces and temples, adding an important source of protein for the Buddhist vegetarianism of nobles and monks. In the late12nd century, Zen Buddhism with strict teachings was introduced to Japan, and then to Showa.
The widespread spread of Ryori (essence cuisine, that is, Buddhist vegetarian dishes) has made ordinary people eat tofu. In order to promote their religion, many Zen temples-especially in Kyoto and Kamakura-set up dense restaurants in or near the temple courtyard.
By the end of 14, most Japanese had become Buddhists, so they refused to eat meat. It was during this period that the Japanese created some new varieties of tofu that were not available in China, including koya-dofu (high wild tofu, namely dehydrated frozen tofu), hiryozu (flying taro, Kansai dialect), also known as ganmodoki (wild goose, Kanto dialect, namely fried tofu jiaozi) and abura-age.
(Youyang げ, that is, fried tofu), roasted tofu (き tofu, that is, baked tofu) and kinukoshi-dofu (silk-soaked tofu, that is, tofu as tender as silk).
Now you can still eat tofu in Kyoto's historic restaurants. The most famous is Okutan.
(ぉくたん, Aodan), 1675, originally a teahouse, located in the empty courtyard of nanzenji, Kyoto.
Most of the Japanese cuisine we know today was formed in the Edo period.
1603- 1868), when Japan was still closed to the outside world. 17th century, a Buddhist monk in China, Yuan Yin Qi Long (Ingen
Ryuki) wrote a short pun saying praising Japanese tofu, which is still circulating today. This sentence also describes the excellent qualities of Japanese tofu and good people: まめでしかくで.
やわらかで
Each line has a double meaning. It can be read as: it is made of beans, square and soft. It can also be read as: diligent, honest, gentle and considerate. Bean is a homophonic word for diligence, integrity in all directions and tenderness in softness-these are not only the characteristics of tofu, but also the commendable qualities of people.