LCBO Food and Drink Early Summer 2016

ORIGINS  TALKING TOFU

as a wrapper, but it’s also delicious lifted straight off a pot of hot milk.    Europeans have been documenting their encounters with tofu for centuries. Perhaps surprisingly, their impressions were generally favourable. For example, in 1665 an Italian missionary (who mistook soybeans for kidney beans) wrote that “Teu Fu, that is Paste of Kidney Beans, is generally dress’d with Herbs, Fish, and other things. Alone it is insipid, but very good dress’d as I say and excellent fry’d in Butter. They have it also dry’d and smok’d, and mixed with Caraway-seeds, which is best of all.”    Such endorsements, many predicting tofu would be the Next Big Thing in Europe or America, appeared at regular intervals well into the 20th century. They couldn’t have been more wrong, even though, by the end of the 19th century, tofu was available in any city with a significant Chinese com-

munity. Interest flickered to life during the meat shortages of World War I, but died quickly afterward. In the United States, Seventh-day Adventists, who advocated a wholesome, meatless diet, became the first Caucasians to manufacture tofu, marketing it in cans under tradenames including Chese-O-Soy, Soynut Cheese, and Vege-Cheese in the 1930s and ’40s. None of them found a market.    In the late 1970s, however, conditions were finally right. That’s when tofu became a mascot of back-to-the-earth, ecological consciousness and vegetarian movements. The mainstream media came on board. Tofu was “an idea whose time has come,” according to The BostonGlobe . “The West Wakes Up to the Wonders of Tofu,” declared a headline in TheNewYork Times . Tofu was touted as an efficient and inexpensive way to feed the world. Celebrities lined up to endorse it.    Tofu really is good for you. It’s one of the few plant-based foods that supply all nine essential amino acids. It’s high in protein, cholesterol-free

and low in fat. Questions have been raised about links between plant-based estrogens and breast cancer, and low sperm counts in men. The cur- rent consensus is that moderate consumption of soyfoods is perfectly safe, andmay even protect against breast cancer recurrence. F IRM OR EXTRA- F IRM tofu are the usual choice for cooking, since they can be sliced or cubed, and stand up well to frying and grilling.    The key factor in tofu’s recent acceptance was its Americanization. The soy pioneers of the 1980s were not constrained by tofu’s Asian heri- tage. They made sure their products appealed to Western taste buds with creations such as tofu burgers, cheesecakes, sandwiches and vegetable sautés, as well as tofu-ized versions of imported favourites like lasagna, burritos, moussaka and quiche.    There were setbacks and backlashes, of course. During the early ’80s one poll pro- claimed tofu the most hated food in the United States. But tofu has withstood such assaults, as a trip to any large supermarket—or, increasingly, one of the artisanal fresh tofu shops popping up in major cities—will confirm.    The array of choices can be intimidating (especially in Asian markets). But if you strip away the specialty items—the dried, fried, spiced, shredded, smoked, sweetened and fla- voured—and stick to plain fresh tofu, packed in water, the only real choice is texture.    The range starts with silken tofu and ends with extra-, super-, or ultra-firm (the name var- ies with the producer). Silken tofu, delicate and custard-like, is coagulated right in the package. It’s unpressed, with the highest water content, and falls apart easily, making it a great substi- tute for dairy and eggs in smoothies, desserts, puddings, sauces and dips. Of the pressed tofus, firm or extra-firm are the usual choice for cook- ing, since they can be sliced or cubed, and stand up well to frying and grilling. The trade-off is

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