Tofu is a big part of Japanese dining. At our Bellevue Japanese restaurant, you can get your fill of this vegetarian favorite in the form of our delectable agedashi tofu. But where did tofu first come from, and how did it spread so thoroughly across Asia?
Ancient Chinese documents place the creation of tofu in 164 BC. The man credited for its invention is a prince by the name of Liu An. Unfortunately, it was common at this time to attribute significant innovations to prominent political figures, so there’s no telling who the real inventor was. Regardless, it remains clear that the production methods of tofu that are known today were standardized by the second century, BC.
Tofu likely spread from China with the Buddhist movement. Buddhists journeying to Japan needed to introduce a meat-free alternative to protein to their new followers as part of their vegetarian teachings, and tofu was there to fit the bill. This was how Japan first got to know the famous soybean curd, and how it came to the menu of Flo’s Japanese Restaurant today.