 What is stinky tofu and why is it such a popular treat in Taiwan, Indonesia and China?
Stinky tofu, which is actually a form of fermented tofu, is manufactured and prepared in a myriad of ways depending on the region where it is sold.
The strong odor is formidable to say the very least and not for the faint of heart. Stinky tofu is a very popular snack in East and Southeast Asia where it is easily found with no place to hide at night markets or roadside stands.
The words, “stinky tofu”, are a direct translation from the Mandarin term, “chou doufu”. Chou does not translate negatively, like stinky, and is considered a description rather than a judgment of the unmistakable odor.
Usually marinated in a brine made from fermented vegetables for as long as several months, the potent marinade can also include greens, bamboo shoots, herbs and dried shrimp.
Once, stinky tofu was a military staple for soldiers patrolling China’s borders.
From a distance, it is said that rotting garbage is as close as one can come to describing the smell of stinky tofu. Some also say “baby poo” and “hellacious” come a bit closer.
Its flavor is very mild, and some claim it is similar to blue cheese (on non-garbage, pick-up days), Afficianados swear that the worse it smells, the better the flavor.
Stinky tofu can be steamed, eaten cold, stewed or fried, which is the most common form of preparation. Usually served with a chili sauce on the side, the color of stinky tofu varies from golden fried to the black typical of Hunan-style preparation.
In Hong Kong, stinky tofu is a trademark street food along with fish and beef balls, which are deep fried and eaten with hoisin sauce. Sold by the bag, it is guaranteed to contain almost enough grease to oil a diesel truck.
Is stinky tofu for you?
I guess that all depends.
How do you feel about perfume and deodorant?
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EWOKS EAT ROTTEN BUGS ON ENDOR!!! LooL361
It’s not that bad once it’s fried, which is the way it is usually served in Taiwan. The smell is from it’s raw form once you fry it the smell is gone and all you are left with is a crunchy outside and a soft inside. Not bad at all.
It sure doesn’t look tasty on the picture. ^^
Soy is the most vile thing that ever grew on the surface of this planet.
And so are you!
BLEEARGH
It looks like, um, human waste
wueeeekkkkss disturbing picture..
better than stinky cheese
Most street food in HK looks bad, and I’ve had my fair share since I have them every time I go back to Hong Kong (couple times a year) and I must say, they always taste better than they look.
Once I had to persuade a Kiwi friend to try some…. literally deep fried “pig intestine”, “Ox tongue” and “Pig blood”. Needless to say, it took a lot of explaining and persuasion.
Thank you for your thoughts on this.
I appreciate them.
I enjoy Chou Dofu and I’ve never seen any as ugly as in that pic, mine is all a nice gold colour.
Either way it tastes nice, and other than the ones in that pic, look nice too.
That Hunan style looks great. I’d love to try it. I eat stinky tofu about once a week in Taiwan. Fried is the most common, but I prefer the spicy stinky tofu soup with duck blood pudding which you can find in most night markets. It’s one of the spiciest Taiwanese dishes.
P-U! That pungent odour really smells worse than garbage. I wonder why numerous people enjoy eating it……
I love this food!! It taste incredibly great! I have missed its flavour for a really long time.
I once tasted the golden one chou doufu in one Hunan style resto at Guang-zhou, China, about 2 years ago, and I do love the taste. The smell is not as bad as they -who don’t like- said.
Trust me, you will love it once you tasted it.
To be honest, there is no exactly the same chou doufu in Indonesia. One that similar is called ‘tahu gejrot’ (originally produced by Ciledug-Cirebon area people), fried, served with crushed chilli, shallot and palm sugar in sauce of palm sugar + water, the smell is much lesser than chou doufu.
chou doufu smelt lousy but taste delicious!