Bagong Mountain in Shouxian County is located in the middle of Anhui Province, the south bank of the middle reaches of Huaihe River and the north of Shouxian County. Huainan was a country in the Western Han Dynasty, and the spring water at the foot of the mountain was full of light, clear and sweet. Shouchun area is rich in soybeans. Since ancient times, villagers have used spring water in the mountains to grind beans and drink soybean milk.
Liu An, the king of Huainan (BC 177- 122), had a mother who liked to eat soybeans. Once my mother couldn't eat the whole soybean because of illness, so Liu An had the soybean ground into powder. Afraid that the powder was too dry, she rushed into some water to boil it into soybean milk, and afraid that it was tasteless, she put some brine. The result turned into a lump, which is tofu flower.
Huainan Wang's mother was very happy to eat it, and her condition improved, so tofu was handed down. The making of tofu was invented by Liu An when he organized alchemy. Alchemists used many minerals and inorganic salts in alchemy, and occasionally found that gypsum or other salts could solidify soybean milk into tofu.
Tips for purchasing tofu
Take a piece of tofu and observe it directly under scattered light. Traditional tofu is even milky white or light yellow, with a slight luster. Synthetic tofu is much whiter and dimmer than traditional tofu because of the addition of white pigment. There may also be waterlines, bubbles, fine particles, etc.
Traditional tofu can feel some elasticity when pressed by hand, and its hardness is moderate. Synthetic tofu is rough in section, not delicate in texture and poor in elasticity, and there is no white tofu liquid flowing out.
Smell directly at room temperature. Traditional tofu is made of soybeans and has the smell of soybeans. Synthetic tofu is made of soy protein isolate, which tastes very light and even smells like chemicals.