Tofu originated in China. It is thought to have been developed first by Liu An, a Han Dynasty prince who lived during the second century B.C. During the 1960s, the Japanese Food Research Institute recommended modernizing and standardizing tofu production throughout Japan.

Who invented tofu?

Like many soya foods, tofu originated in China. Legend has it that it was discovered about 2000 years ago by a Chinese cook who accidentally curdled soy milk when he added nigari seaweed. Introduced into Japan in the eighth century, tofu was originally called 'okabe'.

How was tofu made historically?

Another theory suggests that the production method for tofu was discovered accidentally when a slurry of boiled, ground soybeans was mixed with impure sea salt. Such sea salt would probably have contained calcium and magnesium salts, allowing the soy mixture to curdle and produce a tofu-like gel.