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Tofu, also known as bean curd, is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is a component in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines.〔Knopper, (Jan. 2002), p.16〕 There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu is bought or made to be soft, firm, or extra firm. Tofu has a subtle flavor and can be used in savory and sweet dishes. It is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish. Tofu originated in Han dynasty China some 2,000 years ago.〔 Chinese legend ascribes its invention to prince Liu An (179122BC). Tofu and its production technique were introduced into Korea and then Japan〔 during the Nara period (710794). Some scholars believe tofu arrived in Vietnam during the 10th and 11th century. It spread into other parts of Southeast Asia as well. This spread probably coincided with the spread of Buddhism because it is an important source of protein in the vegetarian diet of East Asian Buddhism. Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty described a method of making tofu in the Compendium of Materia Medica.〔Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, Vol 6 Part 5 Chapter 40, section d.2〕 Tofu has a low calorie count and relatively large amounts of protein. It is high in iron, and depending on the coagulants used in manufacturing (e.g. calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate), it can have higher calcium or magnesium content. The term ''tofu'' by extension can be used in similarly textured curdled dishes that do not use soy products at all, such as "almond tofu" (almond jelly), (egg), (sesame), or peanut tofu (Chinese ''luòhuāshēng dòufu'' and Okinawan ). == Etymology == The English term comes from Japanese ''tōfu'' (), borrowed from the original Chinese equivalent ( or ) transcribed ''tou''4-''fu''3 (Wade-Giles) or ''dòufu'' (pinyin), literally "bean" (豆) + "curdled" or "fermented" (腐).〔''American Heritage Dictionary''.〕 A reference to the word "towfu" exists in a letter dated 1770 from English merchant James Flint to United States statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin. This is believed to be the first documented usage of the word in English. The term "bean curd(s)" for tofu has been used in the United States since at least 1840. It is not frequently used, however, in the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand.〔"() use in curdling bean-curds", ''China: its State and Prospects'', June 1840, p. 80 ''in'' ''The Chinese Repository'', vol. IV. (at Google Books ); "''bean-curd'', or cheese (called by them ''Tow-foo'')", J.F. Davis, "Chusan, with a Survey Map of the Island", ''Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London'' 23:261 (1853) (at JSTOR )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「tofu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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