Status of Tofu in Chinese Food
2 min readStatus of Tofu in Chinese Food
Tofu，also called bean curd，is a food made by curding soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks.It is a component in many East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines.There are many different varieties of tofu，including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way.Tofu has a subtle flavor and can be used in savory and sweet dishes.Tofu has a low calorie count，relatively large amounts of protein，and little fat.It is high in iron and may also be high in calcium or magnesium.
Tofu originated in ancient China some 2，000 years ago.It is said that Prince Liu An（179BC-122BC）invented tofu.Tofu and its production technique were introduced int Korea and then Japan.It spread into other parts of East Asia as well.This spread likely agreed with the spread of Buddhism because it is an important source of protein in the vegetarian diet of East Asian Buddhism.
Tofu and soy protein play a central role in the making of meat substitutes.Mock meat is made of tofu and soy protein，but it remains a major feature of meat.It is often eaten at vegetarian restaurants and temple kitchens throughout China.Meat analogues can be amazingly meat-like.Mock meat can be eaten with no feeling of guilt，and it is much cheaper than real meat，which means that you could eat more of it，and more often.
