tofu guru.

Tofu might have only recently gained a permanent spot on grocery store shelves in the US, but it’s been around for a long, long, long time– 2,000 years, to be precise. Originally concocted in China, tofu is actually the Japanese word for “bean curd.” And as appealing as that sounds, tofu is actually delicious, healthy and verstile– I guess that explains why the recipe for tofu hasn’t changed since it’s invention.

Made from soymilk, nigari (a compound found in ocean water), and calcium sulphate (a natural mineral), the process of making tofu is actually much like making fresh cheese. In fact, it’s not to hard to do it yourself at home (although does anyone have time anymore?)

Tofu didn’t make it’s way to the west until sometime in the twentieth century, generally becoming more popular and mainstream as interest in vegetarianism and veganism grew. It’s now grown from it’s former sanctuary in the natural foods store, and the many forms of tofu can be found in grocery stores nationwide.

So now that you know everything you ever wanted to know about where tofu came from, you’re probably wondering what to do with it! Lucky for you, you really can’t go wrong. Tofu has virtually no flavor, and it’s super simple to prepare. So browse through my collection of tofu recipes and resources, or go check out a cookbook at your library and get down with the curd.