Tofu Trivia Quiz Questions With Answers

Trivia quiz questions with answers about tofu.

Tofu Trivia Quiz Questions With Answers

What is tofu?
A: Tofu, also known as bean curd, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness.

It is a traditional component of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines; it has been consumed in China for how long?
A: Over 2,000 years.

It can be silken, soft, firm, or what?
A: Extra firm.

It has a subtle flavor, so it can be used in what kind of dishes?
A: Savory and sweet dishes.

Nutritionally, tofu is low in calories, while containing a relatively large amount of what?
A: Protein.

It is high in iron, and can have a high calcium or magnesium content depending on what?
A: The coagulants used in manufacturing (e.g. calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate).

Where does the English term "tofu" come from?
A: Japanese tōfu, borrowed from the original Chinese equivalent dòufu (pinyin), literally "bean" + "curdled" or "fermented".

A reference to the word towfu exists in a letter dated 1770 from the English merchant James Flint to whom?
A: American statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin.

This is believed to be the first documented what?
A: Use of the word in English.

The term "bean curd(s)" for tofu has been used in the United States since when?
A: Since at least 1840.

When was tofu-making first recorded?
A: During the Chinese Han dynasty some 2,000 years ago.

Chinese legend ascribes its invention to whom?
A: Prince Liu An (179–122 BC).

In Chinese history, important inventions were frequently attributed to whom?
A: Important leaders and figures of the time.

Tofu and its production technique were introduced to Japan during what period?
A: The Nara period (710–794).

Some scholars believe tofu arrived in Vietnam during what centuries?
A: The 10th and 11th centuries.

This probably coincided with the spread of Buddhism as it is an important source of protein in the what?
A: The vegetarian diet of East Asian Buddhism.

Li Shizhen, during the Ming Dynasty, described a method of making tofu in what?
A: The Compendium of Materia Medica.

Since then, tofu has become a staple in many countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea, with regional variations in what?
A: Production methods, texture, flavor, and usage.

In China, tofu is traditionally used as a food offering when visiting what?
A: The graves of deceased relatives.

It is claimed that the spirits (or ghosts) have long lost their chins and jaws, so that only tofu is what?
A: Soft enough for them to eat.

Before refrigeration was available in China, tofu was often only sold when?
A: During winter, since tofu did not spoil as easily in cold weather.

During the warmer months, tofu, once made, spoiled if stored for how long?
A: More than a day.

Chinese war hero Guan Yu used to be a tofu maker before he what?
A: Enlisted in the army.

Chinese martial arts expert and hero Yim Wing-chun was a celebrated what?
A: Tofu maker in her village.

Much of tofu's early use in Asia was as a vegetarian substitute for what?
A: Meat and fish by Buddhist monks, especially those following Zen Buddhism.

The earliest Japanese document concerning tofu refers to the dish being served as a what?
A: An offering at the Kasuga Shrine in Nara in 1183.

The book Tofu Hyakuchin, published in the Edo period, lists how many recipes for cooking tofu?
A: 100.

In Southeast Asia, tofu was introduced to the region by whom?
A: Chinese immigrants from Fujian province, as evidenced by many countries in Southeast Asia referring to tofu using the Min Nan Chinese pronunciations for either soft and firm tofu, or "tāu-hū" and "tāu-goan" respectively.

What is tofu called in Indonesia?
A: Tahu.

Tahu goreng, tahu isi and tahu sumedang are popular what?
A: Fried tofu snacks.

What is tofu called in Malaysia and Singapore?
A: Tauhu.

Tofu in the Philippines is an essential in the what?
A: The daily diet, as taho.

It is widely eaten at what meal?
A: Breakfast.

Tofu was introduced to the archipelago in the 10th to 13th centuries by whom?
A: Song dynasty Chinese mariners and merchants, along with many other foods that became staples of the Philippine diet.

The use and production of tofu were first limited to urban centers with influential what?
A: Chinese minorities, such as Cebu or Tondo, but quickly spread to even remote native villages and islands.

Benjamin Franklin was the first American to do what?
A: To mention tofu, in a 1770 letter to John Bartram.

Franklin, who encountered it during a trip to London, included a few soybeans and referred to it as what?
A: "Cheese" from China.

In 1770 Franklin also corresponded with James Flint on the subject of how the Chinese did what?
A: Converted callivances (soybeans) into tofu.

This is believed to be the first use of the word "tofu" in what?
A: In the English language.

When was the first tofu company in the United States established?
A: In 1878.

In 1908 Li Yuying, a Chinese anarchist and a vegetarian with a French degree in agriculture and biology, opened what?
A: A soy factory, the Usine de la Caséo-Sojaïne.

This was the world's first soy dairy and the first factory in France to do what?
A: To manufacture and sell beancurd.

With increased cultural contact between the West and East Asia and growing interest in vegetarianism, knowledge of tofu has become what?
A: Widespread.

Numerous types of pre-flavored tofu can be found where?
A: In supermarket chains throughout the West.

It is also used by many vegans and vegetarians as a source of what?
A: Protein.

Production of tofu is similar to the production of what?
A: Dairy cheese by coagulating the milk of dairy animals to form curds and pressing and aging the curds to form cheese.

What are typical tofu making procedures?
A: They are cleaning, soaking, grinding beans in water, filtering, boiling, coagulation, and pressing.

What is the most important step in the production of tofu?
A: Coagulation of the protein and oil (emulsion) suspended in the boiled soymilk.

This process is accomplished with the aid of what?
A: Coagulants.

What are the two types of coagulants that are used commercially?
A: Salts and acids.

What is the traditional and most widely used coagulant to produce Chinese-style tofu?
A: Calcium sulfate (gypsum), it produces a tofu that is tender but slightly brittle in texture.

What does the coagulant itself taste like?
A: It is tasteless.

Also known as gypsum, calcium sulfate is obtained from where?
A: It is quarried from geological deposits and no chemical processing or refining is needed, making it the cheapest coagulant used in tofu production.

Use of this coagulant also makes a tofu that is rich in what?
A: Calcium.

As such, many tofu manufacturers choose to use this coagulant to be able to market their tofu as what?
A: A good source of dietary calcium.

Depending on the type of tofu used, the texture of deep fried tofu may range from crispy on the outside and custardy on the inside, to what?
A: Puffed up like a plain doughnut.

In Taiwan, fried tofu is made into a dish called what?
A: "A-gei", which consists of a fried aburage tofu package stuffed with noodles and capped with surimi.

Pickled tofu is commonly used in small amounts together with its soaking liquid to flavor what?
A: Stir-fried or braised vegetable dishes.

It is often eaten directly as a condiment with what?
A: Rice or congee.