Tofu and Soya Bean Products

 

Clockwise from top left: dried beancurd sheets and sticks, seasoned smoked extra-firm tofu, fried tofu, soft ('regular') tofu and fresh beancurd sheet.

Tofu is often the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of vegetarian food. It is also the victim of character misjudgement by most Western cooks- it's considered to be bland, and so it may be if not prepared properly.

However, a high-quality fresh tofu (ideally homemade) can be flavourful enough to be eaten and relished on its own, and even a supermarket variety can be used to create a huge variety of dishes, both as the star of the show and as a component to give more body and nutrition to a dish.

Tofu is made from curdled soybean milk (curdled with minerals like gypsum or the natural seaweed extract nigari) , packed into molds and set into blocks with a variety of textures depending on how thick the soybean milk was- it may be silken (the softest type), soft, medium-firm, firm or extra-firm. Each type has its own character in cooking, making tofu very versatile. It was first discovered in China some two millennia ago by the figures of most historians, and because of its ancient heritage, there are an incredible amount of tofu styles, dishes and preparation techniques that have been perfected by generations of chefs.

Also extracted from soybean milk are other beancurd products, such as thin, soft beancurd sheets, and the various products made with them. You can find them frozen, fresh or dried, or even make them yourself. While less common in the West than tofu, there are still plenty of creative and delicious uses for them.

Health

Tofu is high in protein, especially the extra-firm variety, and also contains calcium, iron and vitamin B1, all of which are important to keep track of in a plant-based diet. However, tofu also contains oxalates that some individuals are sensitive to, and natural products that mimic the molecular structure of estrogen- which can help prevent breast cancer in those who have never had it, but can be dangerous to people who have had estrogen-sensitive tumours. Because of this, current or former breast cancer patients should limit intake of all soy-based products to two to four servings a week, and use other protein sources as the basis of their diet.

Of course, many people have soya sensitivities and allergies, and are best off avoiding soya products altogether. Though this makes eating processed foods very difficult (soya is found in almost everything!) try looking at some of the other protein sources on this blog- there are other sources for the nutrients and protein found in tofu.

Environment

If you've been to the countryside in nearly any state, you've likely seen the leafy-green soybean fields in abundance. Most of this soy is used for either oil extraction or, with the remainder, livestock feed. Eating soy products directly skips a step in the food chain, and makes the extraction of energy from the food more efficient. 

That's not to say that a vegan should not still be concerned about where their soya is coming from, even if it is being consumed in far lesser quantities than if it had to pass through an animal on the food chain. The WWF (World Wildlife Fund, not World Wrestling Federation...) has an informative pamphlet about sustainable soya that didn't require deforestation and habitat destruction to be grown. Read more at the WWF Website. 

Try to look for soy products that are both grown and produced as locally as possible to reduce your environmental footprint. Also remember to diversify your protein sources- there's many more options than soya, and crop diversity is key to environmental well-being. This website offers plenty of soya alternatives.

Overall, soya can be a part of a balanced plant-based diet and has a lot to offer, but should not be the be-all and end-all of protein sources.