Tofu, one of the best known food products from soy

Tofu, also called soy bean curd, is an extremely high-protein food coming from soybeans. It has been given the name tofu from the Japanese, who changed it from doufu, a Chinese word meaning "curdled bean". One way to think of tofu, is to consider it the "cheese" of soy milk. What cheese is to cow's milk, tofu is to soy milk.

Usually in the form of soft blocks when bought from a store, tofu is available in two forms, firm tofu and soft tofu. The firm form is used more to be fried whereas the softer form is more adequate for blending, like in a miso soup recipe or in smoothies for example.

It is important to note that like dairy products, tofu is very sensitive and will turn bad quickly. Therefore you must keep it refrigerated and use it within a week. It's good to know that tofu can be frozen as well.

Tofu can easily be made at home. To do so though, the usage of a soy milk maker | tofu maker will save you a lot of time because the first step in making tofu is making soy milk. Homemade fresh tofu tastes very good and is worth considering if you enjoy eating lots of soy foods.

Tofu is very important in Asian and vegetarian cuisine. It is used in a substantial number of recipes since it is a great alternative to all forms of protein coming from animals.

From a nutrition point of view, eating tofu brings all the great health benefits of eating soy. Most tofu recipes are low in calories, high in protein and above all free of cholesterol. In a society where too much meat consumption is leading to increasing rates of heart disease, using tofu as a meat substitute makes a lot of sense.