tofuwatch.com

Japanese group offers tofu-pumpkin ice cream recipe – and raises history questions

 

I’ll get to the ice cream in a moment. Really.

But I want to point out that even when it comes to history, even bean curd can be a tricky topic.  Who did what and when can be subject to interpretation and debate, based on what was recorded and what was found.

Well, the Japan Tofu Association is questioning whether Liu An, the grandson of a Chinese emperor, should be given credit as the general inventor of the food.

Chinese give Liu the nod as the man who led efforts around 164 BC that produced soybean cake. His assistants accidentally invented tofu in the Huainan area after he told them to make a medicine that would prolong his life.

The Japanese group acknowledges that bean curd started in China. It also talks about how Li Shizhen, a writer, linked Liu to originally making tofu in the text, Bencao Gangmu. Today, it’s considered to be an encyclopedia.

But the association notes:

The fact that this statement is found in this famous book is considered to be the reason for the dissemination of the ‘Tofu/Prince of Huainan Theory.’ …Some doubts remain….The raw ingredient of tofu, the soybean, was not available in China at the time of Prince Liu An. The soybean was introduced into China half a century later.

I question that statement about soybeans not being available during Liu’s time. Why?

The North Carolina Soybean Producers Association Inc. notes that Chinese farmers “domesticated” soybeans around 1100 BC.

The Japan Tofu Association also says that Liu wrote many scholarly books, including ones on philosophy. “But none of these contain the word ‘Tofu,’” the group writes.

 There is one statement from the group with which I agree:

…The current production technique was not a result of the first attempt and today’s tofu gradually resulted from much experimentation and experience.

Now, does this matter in 2009?

It’s nice to have an accurate answer. And I still lean toward the Chinese explanation because I haven’t seen enough convincing evidence from the Japan Tofu Association.

But in this summer heat, the question might not be a true global concern.

And when the inside of our house hits 82 degrees in the evening, my thoughts, interestingly enough, turn to ice cream.

Thankfully, the Japan Tofu Association also offers a variety of bean curd recipes, including the tofu-pumpkin ice cream.

Yes, I know it actually starts off with vanilla ice cream. But still, the addition of pumpkin (which I like as soup) and tofu sound intriguing.

Another recipe that looks delicious is the tofu steak with chili prawn sauce. When the weather gets colder, I want to try the corn soup with crab and tofu.

If I ever make the tofu-pumpkin ice cream, I’ll post my notes here.

If you’re looking for other tofu recipes, I’ve compiled the delicious ones here that I’ve posted before.

NOTE: I need to thank my friend, Hiroshi, for sending me the group’s link.