#我来唠家常#
If you ask a Chinese who has just moved to Europe and the United States, what ingredients are common in China but difficult to buy in local supermarkets. You may hear their souls crying out – "Tofu is too hard to buy!"
In 9102 A.D., as a national second-class tofu eater (serious face), I really feel sorry for the fact that they can't eat tofu, after all, in China, the earliest literature about tofu appeared in the fifth dynasty. In Tao Gu's "Qing Yilu", it is mentioned that "there are several tofu in the Japanese market, and the people of Yi call tofu a small slaughtered sheep", which shows that at that time in the Huainan area, tofu was already a "hot selling item". At the same time, the locals compare tofu to lamb, and the charm of tofu can be seen.
▲ Looking at this picture, I can already smell the fragrance. Photo/soogif
Of course, literati and artists from all over the world should not miss this "fashion icon". Lu You wrote in "Notes on Lao Xue'an", "Jiaxing people...... Open a tofu soup shop", Su Shi, who met a must record of food, even made tofu by himself, and wrote a poem while saying, "Boiled beans are made of milk fat for crisp, and high heat oil candles pour honey wine." ”
Nowadays, this mysterious food from the Orient has "bloomed a few flowers" in the land of China, and people around the world have made different flavors of tofu according to the local raw materials and the taste of the locals, which can be roughly divided into salt brine tofu, gypsum tofu, sour tofu and lactone tofu according to the difference in the way of pulpping.
▲ It's the aroma of tofu, connoisseur. Photo/soogif
"Iron man" tofu can also give you tenderness
Tofu that is dotted with salt marinade is collectively referred to as salted tofu. This kind of tofu is slightly yellowish in color, with strong hardness, elasticity and toughness, and can have a general water content, which is especially common in northern areas, so it will also be called "northern tofu" and "old tofu".
One side of the water and soil raises one side of the people, and one side of the water and soil also produces one side of tofu.
In Mohe, the -50 degrees Celsius winter has not been able to resist the enthusiasm of the people of Northeast China for tofu. Although the weather in Mohe is cold, the soil there is a "natural pure land" with very little pollution. Mohe tofu, made from early-maturing soybeans grown in such an environment, may also have a frosty "tenacity" and is often used in stews. If it is in the middle of winter, you can eat a meal of cod stewed tofu, as if it can dispel the cold of the whole year.
▲ Cod stewed tofu, a magic weapon for life. Figure/Marketchart.com
In Gaoxian County, Sichuan, which is far away from the north, it is also rich in a kind of salt-marinated tofu - Shahe tofu. The water used to make tofu here is mountain spring water from Shanglong Mountain, and the salt brine is rock salt from the depths of the mountain, these two "sharp weapons" have contributed to Shahe tofu becoming the "sunflower treasure" of the tofu industry. The practice of Shahe tofu pays attention to one word "heavy": heavy with oil and heavy with materials. The tofu is fried with a sufficient amount of bean cress, garlic granules, shallots, etc., and the tofu fully absorbs the taste and aroma of the condiments, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the fresh fragrance is attractive.
▲ The heavy taste of tofu is exciting. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Another typical dish is "stuffed tofu", a famous Hakka dish that has also developed a special flavor in Shahe. Put the minced meat filling into a square thin piece of Shahe tofu of an inch size, which can be fried, boiled, boiled in a hot pot, and the meat, tofu and seasonings are tumbling in the pot, and the meat and tofu have been integrated into one bite, and they stimulate each other to be fragrant, fresh, crispy, and spicy to make you worship it.
▲ Stuffed tofu completely satisfies the needs of wanting to eat meat and tofu. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Inseparable from salt-marinated tofu is also a masterpiece of heavy tofu - mapo tofu. Many chefs believe that only tofu marinated with salt can make authentic mapo tofu. This spicy, spicy, hot and salty dish has now crossed the ocean and become an international celebrity, with different ways to do it in different places, but some people still miss the taste of salted braised tofu surrounded by white powder, embellished with peppercorn powder and sesame oil.
▲ Do you like to eat mapo tofu with bean paste?
Lao She can be said to have a soft spot for Beijing's old tofu, which is described in "Camel Xiangzi", Xiangzi fled back from outside the city, and the first thing to eat is the old tofu in Qiaotou, vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, and leeks mixed with the aroma of tofu, so fragrant that Xiangzi holds his breath, he has soaked his waist pants after eating a bowl, and quickly said, "Another bowl!"
▲ This kind of old tofu is not the same as bean curd. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
It can be tender, tenacious, and hairy
Compared with salt-brown tofu, gypsum tofu with gypsum as the coagulant encapsulates more water in the tofu, so its water content is higher, so it is called "southern tofu" and "tender tofu".
In some southern regions, it is also preferred to stew crucian carp with gypsum tofu, not only the fresh fish and the fresh beans are a natural pair, but when the fibrous texture of the fish and the elastic and slippery feeling of the tofu are eaten at the same time, there is an indescribable sense of happiness. If there is any ingredient that tastes best with tofu, the crab roe must be mixed with a kick, and in the crab roe tofu, the "frosted" crab roe and the "polished" tofu form a gorgeous balance, which is simply a great harmony between the food.
▲ Crucian carp tofu, gurgling and gurgling. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Although the statement that "the method of tofu began with Liu An, the king of Huainan in the Han Dynasty" is not reliable, the gypsum tofu in Bagong Mountain in Huainan, Anhui Province is very reliable. "White as pure jade, fine as clotted fat, fresh and delicious, fragrant and delicious" is the world's praise for Bagong Mountain tofu.
In modern times, there are Chinese foodies who "rescue" Denmark, but I didn't expect that there was "tofu diplomacy" in ancient times. During the Tang Dynasty, tofu-making techniques were introduced to Japan with the Jianzhen Eastward Crossing and are now part of Japanese food culture. If you look closely, some Japanese tofu products still have the words "Tang Chuan dried tofu, Huainantang system" and so on.
▲ Coach, I want to learn to cut tofu. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
There are "three soups" in Bagongshan tofu: "Drifting Soup", that is, the tofu does not sink into the soup, "Milk Soup", the soup boiled out with the tofu is milky white, and "Artificial Chicken Soup", which indicates that its taste is really delicious and smacking. The Bagong Mountain Tofu Feast is even more exaggerated, and the continuous tofu dishes will definitely continue to impact your vision and taste.
▲ Tofu feast, yes. Figure/Network
Anhui tofu can really do a big showdown in the province, this is also a province that can't do without tofu, and even the food customs of festivals in some regions are related to tofu. For example, in Yixian County, Huangshan, Laba tofu is eaten during the Laba Festival. The shape of this tofu is very cute, mostly round with a slight concave in the middle, and what is more interesting is that this tofu is like dried fish, which needs to be sprinkled with salt and sun. But because of this, the water in the tofu is evaporated, making it hard and chewy, and the star anise and chili peppers added to make it more flavorful, which also allows it to last longer.
▲ Does the appearance of this Laba tofu imitate red blood cells? Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
More famous is Huizhou edamame tofu. As the name suggests, there is hair on the tofu, which is an edible mycelium formed by adding some mold after fresh tofu is made, and can also be divided into tiger fur, mouse hair, rabbit hair, and cotton hair according to the length of the mycelium. Due to fermentation, edamame tofu has its own fragrant (chou) flavor, which allows people to locate it accurately. It is said that "you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry", but edamame tofu must be eaten while it is hot, it is best to eat it while frying, the fluffy and crispy skin, and the solid and dense inner pulp have captured a large number of "brain-dead powder".
▲ May I ask this hairy Mr. Edamame Tofu, can you divide my hair?
"Weird" tofu, will you like it?
Sour tofu is a bit of a maverick in tofu. Its coagulant is the juice that is leached after making tofu, and after natural fermentation, sour pulp water is formed, so sour tofu can be said to be a kind of green and environmentally friendly tofu. The color of this kind of tofu is mostly amber with yellowish white color, good toughness, and hard texture.
For the Weichuan tofu in Kaifeng, Henan, "hemp rope wears tofu - can't be lifted" is not applicable, if you are on the side of the stall selling Weichuan tofu in the market, you may be able to see the tofu hooked up and weighed with a scale hook, and then tied with hemp rope to carry the tofu away. The most famous method of Weichuan tofu is mutton stewed tofu, and the lingering mutton aroma and rich bean aroma make you chopsticks and chopsticks non-stop.
▲ Mutton stewed tofu, eat meat!
"Don't use brine and gypsum to order tofu", one of the "three monsters" in Yulin says that Shaanxi Yulin tofu. According to legend, when Kangxi passed through Yulin, he was conquered by a "spinach stewed tofu", and chanted "fragrant white jade board, red-billed green parrot". In order to eat the original taste of tofu, Yulin tofu is often used to make shallot tofu. Tofu and green onion are nestled against each other, with the beauty of green and white, and the tofu is accompanied by the aroma of sesame oil, the green onion is sweet and slightly spicy, and you can also eat a plain happiness.
▲ Plain is true!
When it comes to sour tofu, we have to mention Shiping tofu in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan, which is also one of the new eighteen monsters in Yunnan - Shiping tofu is roasted and sold. Its "sour slurry" is a bit magical, it comes from the sour water well. Shiping has a unique geographical location, relying on Yilong Lake, there are several acid wells in the city, it can really be said to be the chosen place.
▲ There are many types of tofu in Shiping, and there are three kinds of them in one stall. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Tofu exists as a side dish in many places, but Shiping tofu definitely has to stand firmly in the C position. Therefore, the most common practice of Shiping tofu is to fry and grill, and then eat it directly, and disdain to eat it with other ingredients at all. When you finish eating a piece of chewy and fragrant Shiping tofu, you will understand why so many people have a soft spot for Shiping tofu.
▲ 石屏豆腐独孤求败. 图/Geetan
It's sweet or salty, look at my seventy-two changes
In fact, the most common in today's market is lactone tofu, because the slurry technology with gluconate-δ-lactone as the coagulant reduces the protein loss in the process of making tofu and improves the utilization rate of soybeans. This technology was invented in Japan and later introduced to China, where it inspired various derivative practices in China.
Lactone tofu is more "tender" than tender tofu, but it is also more fragile, and if you want to make a plate of "stylish" tofu, it will tell you what human suffering is.
▲ A song "Bubble" was given to this contestant. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
The preserved egg tofu that makes crooked nuts frightened is the masterpiece of lactone tofu. But I just want to sigh, how can there be such a "fairy match", soft-hearted preserved eggs with blown-up lactone tofu, if you sprinkle some green onions and green peppers, at this time the shape of the dish is not important at all, just eat one bite after another.
▲ Preserved egg tofu, a summer favorite. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
There are so many such tofu fancy dishes that you can't believe it. When I saw spinach lactone tofu, radish lactone tofu, and egg lactone tofu, I could still understand that the moment cactus lactone tofu appeared, my whole person was not good, didn't I eat my mouth? The wisdom of working people is really infinite, and Chinese can really eat anything.
In order to keep up with the trend, green tea lactone tofu came into being. The key point in the production of this type of lactone tofu is the ratio of water, beans, tea juice and coagulant. A successful piece of green tea tofu, tofu will be given a new "soul" due to the addition of green tea, which incorporates a unique tea aroma.
▲ Vegetable tofu is not about putting vegetables on tofu, thank you. Photo/soogif
The flavor of tofu is so indescribable that even the ancients could only say "fried tofu in soybean oil is delicious". Regionality has left a deep imprint on the flavor of tofu, the firewood flavor of Youxian tofu, the "Jianghu atmosphere" of Jiange tofu, the delicacy of Majin tofu, and the ritual sense of Hakka tofu...... Therefore, for some people, the taste of tofu is the taste of home.