What exactly is tofu? How are tofu and soymilk made?
Tofu is made from whole soybeans. Soybeans are similar in size and shape to peas and belong to the legume family. Dried soybeans are tan or beige in colour. Soy plants grow to about two feet high. Tofu is often referred to as bean curd because of the process of how it’s made, which is not unlike cheese and its curdling stage. Dried soybeans are soaked in water before they are de-hulled, mashed and cooked at a high temperature. The fibrous residue, called okara, is removed from the resulting mixture along with the whey using a particle remover. The liquid that remains is called soymilk. To make tofu, a coagulant is added to the soymilk to thicken or curdle it. Water is then pressed out of the thickened blocks. The more water that is pressed out, the firmer the tofu. A natural coagulant commonly used is calcium sulfate, a mineral that is cleaned and crushed into a powder. Calcium sulfate has been used for centuries in tofu production.
