Stinky Tofu
Stinky tofu is considered by many to be the national snack of Taiwan. It is different from normal tofu, which is the one made from coagulating soybeans and pressing their curds. Stinky tofu is a kind of fermented tofu, which has a highly unpleasant, pungent smell that does not please the nose especially for those smelling it for the first time. In Chinese it’s called “chou dou fu“ (臭豆腐).
Why is it smell so strong? Some people even have complained that it tastes like feces. The traditional method of producing stinky tofu is to prepare a brine made from fermented milk, vegetables, and meat; the brine can also include dried shrimp, mustard greens and Chinese herbs. The whole brine fermentation can take as long as several months.
It is those bacterium in the brine that secrete proteases which could hydrolyze, or break down the tofu proteins into various amino acids and peptides. Two important sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine and methionine, degrade during the fermentation process and form the pungent odors.
This unique dish is mostly eaten as a quick snack. It’s a popular street food, typically cooked on the side of the road at small carts, and it’s not commonly sold in restaurants.
Stinky tofu can be steamed, barbecued, deep-fried, or stewed with spices. There two main styles of stinky tofu in Taiwan:
- The Deep Fried Stinky Tofu
This might be the one mostly known for everyone. The deep fried stinky tofu is a common dish in Taiwanese night markets; they usually eat it with the local sweet and sour pickled cabbage.
- The Spicy Stinky Tofu
The spicy stinky tofu is part of the spicy hot pot that is prepared in Taiwan and which is made of the stinky tofu, duck blood, and Chinese sauerkraut, making it an important and famous dish in the Taiwanese culture.
For the Taiwanese, the more the stinky tofu smells, the more it will be better in its taste. I strongly recommend you should try deep-fried stinky tofu! The deep-fried one is crunchy on the outside but soft and juicy on the inside. While the smell is strong and unappealing, with mix of soy sauce, garlic, pickled vegetables, the taste is actually quite mild and tastes so flavorful and delicious! It’s the number one cuisine in my Taiwan-must-eat list.
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