The editor-in-chief of Tokyo Agricultural News once said, "Tofu saved the Japanese. 」
"hmm? 」
"In the Nara era, the diplomatic envoys in China brought back the Buddhist doctrine of not killing, and the emperor banned meat. Fortunately, the monks who went to learn from the Song Dynasty in Kamakura learned to make tofu. Tofu, as the main ingredient of Zen forest cuisine, was quickly loved by the aristocratic warrior class. However, it was not until the year after the Edo period that the people advocated eating "the meat in the field" that tofu became popular. Before that, it was an occasional celebration dish on New Year's Day! 」
"Come on, the official ban, harm is that they have no meat to eat. In private, ordinary people still try their best to kill pigs to satisfy their desires. In case they are caught red-handed, they call it "mountain whale meat" to treat diseases. Yes, the opening ban of the Meiji Restoration finally allowed the Japanese to eat meat openly, but the status of tofu was not as good as before. Your old proverb says, "Tofu doesn't eat anything. "Nobody is so stupid now, right? 」
Interrupt him, I snapped. Bad habits can't be changed.
Traditional handmade tofu is made of domestic soybeans, which are twice as expensive as imported products, ground in a stone mortar, squeezed in a cloth bag, added with sweet Seisensui and natural brine, and solidified in a wooden mold. The fragrance and luster are completely different from those of ordinary mechanical products.
Speaking of Japanese tofu, the first association is Kyoto, where the ancient royal family lived. Tofu, once called "wall" by the palace because of its square white color, will become an important part of Kyoto cuisine for several reasons: there are many temples everywhere; Elegant taste, according to local conditions; Jing Quan, which makes tofu, has excellent water quality; Kyoto is not near the sea, far from fish and fresh, and lacks protein sources.
/kloc-In the 7th century, there were two tofu shops in the Yasaka Shrine in Tanoyuan, selling "Dengaku" baked with Toona sinensis miso charcoal, which gradually spread throughout the country under the name of "Tanoyuan Tofu". As for the most famous way to eat "soup tofu", although it originated near the Takatsu Shrine in Osaka, it found a stage in Kyoto and made a splash. You have never been to Kyoto without eating soup and tofu-this is the knowledge of travelers.
When making soup tofu, first soak kelp in water for three or four hours as the soup base, pour it into a ceramic casserole that is not easy to cool, cook it to about 60 degrees with fire, put down the washed tofu and stare at it. When tofu is ready to move and float, it will turn into a small fire, which is the best time to pick it up and eat it. Generally, the dip is mostly Chai Yu soy sauce, mixed with chopped green onion, ginger paste, lime juice, Chili powder or pomelo peel filaments. The better the tofu, the less it will spoil the original flavor. More importantly, if tofu is cooked for a long time, it is easy to produce small holes and destroy the thick taste.
/kloc-In the middle of Edo in the 8th century, why did he call himself "Awakening Crazy Taoist"? Judging from his name, I suspect that he is of China origin. He published Tofu Baizhen, Tofu Baizhen Continued, Tofu Baizhen Appendix and Tofu Baizhen Luyu successively in Osaka, with a total of 278 dishes. Judging from the six grades listed by the author: ordinary products, ordinary products, excellent products, exotic products, wonderful products and special products, tofu is indeed a fiery ingredient in the Edo era. Now, famous tofu shops all over Japan take "Tofu Baizhen" as a model, trying to reproduce the dreamy delicacy in the book. It is said that Junichiro Tanizaki (1886- 1965), a modern writer and beauty fan, was lucky enough to eat every tofu dish-278 dishes every day during his stay in Kyoto! If the rumor is true, isn't this strange uncle, who is famous for his book Love Idiot, as crazy as a woman to eat tofu?
The expert gave me some advice. ※。
Kyoto is proud of tofu, but the main consumption place of tofu in Japan is Okinawa, which is about twice the average level in other regions. As the longest-lived county in Japan, there is a saying that "Bitter gourd fried tofu" (ゴーヤーチャンプルー): Island tofu is slightly harder than ordinary kapok tofu, so it is used. In the sunshine of subtropical islands, it is a nutritious and appetizing home-cooked dish!