Tofu facts for kids

Japanese tofu dish (Kinugoshi tōfu )

Tofu (豆腐), sometimes also called doufu (usually used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (literal translation), is a food made from soybeans. In fact, it is a very complex process. Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. The making of tofu from soy milk is similar to the technique of making cheese from milk. Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called "tofu" in Asian or vegetarian dishes.

China

China has more kinds of tofu than Japan and various tofu foods.

Japan

In Japan, tofu is a common food, used often in miso soup or as a hot dish. People in Japan has created various kinds of tofu. One of them is 絹こし豆腐 (or soft tofu), 木綿豆腐 (or firm tofu, or solid tofu) and "凍み豆腐" (or dried tofu). It is said that the way to make tofu from soybeans was taught by the Chinese a several hundreds years ago. you can find its very first history in a diary of 奈良春日大社 in 1183 of the Heian period.

America

In the United States, tofu is becoming more popular, since Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke on the effects of tofu on TV. Today, Americans buy tofu at the grocery store. The word “tofu” takes root in common use.

Others

In South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia, tofu is daily food.

Nutrition

Tofu is rich in textured vegetable protein and is relatively low in calories. Dietary fiber is a little for process. More and more Americans and Europeans use it as health food.

Popular tofu dishes

• Cold tofu
• Boiled tofu
• Sukiyaki
• Hot dish
• Oden

Images for kids

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  Sun-dubu (extra soft tofu)

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  Soft tofu

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  Firm tofu

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  Dòugān (extra firm tofu)

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  Pickled tofu

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  Tofu skin

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  Chinese soft tofu dish, pidan doufu

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  Chòudòufu is a very pungent type of tofu

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  Sichuan-style (málà chòudòufu) numbing spicy stinky tofu

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  Tofu and potatoes grilled at a street stall in Yuanyang, Yunnan province, China

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  A dish prepared from Sichuan style tofu

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  Japanese-style silken tofu with soy sauce and a decorative carrot slice

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  Atsuage, thick fried tofu

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  Goma tofu, made from sesame seeds and kudzu starch

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  Yudofu, or tofu in hot water

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  Inarizushi, tofu skin with various fillings

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  Tofu in miso soup

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  Pan-fried tofu served with seasoned soy sauce for dipping

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  Dubu-kimchi (blanched tofu served with stir-fried kimchi)

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  Boiled sun-dubu (extra soft tofu) served in ttukbaegi

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  Sundubu-jjigae (spicy soft tofu stew)

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  Dallae-doenjang-guk (soybean paste soup with wild chives and tofu)

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  Chilled tofu served with soy sauce seasonings

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  Crumbled tofu and mashed broccoli salad

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  Tahu putih (firm white tofu)

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  Tahu goreng (fried tofu) has its brown skin

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  Tahu sumedang with bird's eye chili

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  Tahu gejrot with thin light spicy sauce

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  Yellow tofu (tofu colored with turmeric) on top of laksa

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  Tahu bacem, tofu simmered in palm sugar and spices

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  Kembang tahu, served in sweet ginger syrup

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  Perkedel tahu goreng (Dutch-Indonesian food based on tofu and Dutch cooking technique) Frikadeller

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  Tahu isi, Indonesian fried tofu filled with vegetable, shrimp, or chicken served with bird eye chili and sweet shrimp paste

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  Tahu telor or Tahu tek, omelette tofu served with vegetable, krupuk, peanut sauce, shrimp paste, sweet soy sauce, and sambal

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  Kupat tahu, tofu served with rice cake, noodle and sweet soy sauce

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  Tahu campur, tofu soup with beef and tendon served in broth, soy sauce, shrimp paste, vegetable, krupuk and sambal

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  Tahu bakso or batagor, literally bakso (meatball), tahu (tofu), goreng (fried). Fried tofu filled with fish, tapioca starch, or meat.

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  Tahu tuna. fried tofu filled with grounded tuna. a delicacy from pacitan, East java.

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  A cup of taho.

See also

In Spanish: Tofu para niños