Wangfujing Stinky tofu
2 min readStinky tofu or chou doufu is a form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor.It is a snack that is usually sold at night markets or roadside stands or as a side dish in lunch bars rather than in restaurants.According to folk stories，stinky tofu was invented by a person named Wang Zhi he in the Qing dynasty.However，the versions of the story are quite varied.
Production
Unlike cheese，stinky tofu fermentation does not have a fixed formula for starter bacteria；wide regional and individual variations exist in manufacture and preparation.
The traditional method for producing stinky tofu is to prepare abrine made from fermented milk，vegetables and meat；the brine can also include dried shrimp，amaranth greens，mustard greens，bamboo shoots and Chinese herbs.The brine fermentation can take as long as several months.
Modern factories often use quicker methods to mass-produce stinky tofu.Fresh tofu is marinated in prepared brine for only a day or two，especially for the purpose of frying or boiling.The processonly adds odor to the marinated tofu instead of letting it ferment completely.
Preparation
Stinky tofu can be eaten cold，steamed，stewed，or most commonly，fried and is often accompanied by chili sauce.The colour varies from the golden fried Zhejiang-style to the black Hunan-style stinky tofu.
From a distance，the odor of stinky tofu is said to resemble that of rotten garbage or manure.Some people have compared it to the taste of blue cheese while others have compared it to rotten meat.It is said the more it smells，the better its flavor is.
Soft Stinky tofu：
After failing the imperial examination，Wang Zhihe stayed in Beijing and relied on selling tofu to make a living.One day，having a huge quantity of redundant tofu on his hands，he cut the tofu into small cubes and put them into an earthen jar.After several days，he opened up the jar and found that the tofu had turned greenish and become extremely smelly.He tasted the’stinky greenish tofu’and found that it was surprisingly delicious.So he decided to sell those“stinky greenish tofu”as a commodity in his store.
Dried stinky tofu：
During the Kangxi period，Wang Zhihe was a tofu seller as well as a pig feeder.One day，he was making dried tofu with an earthen jar.After he put all the seasonings in the jar，he was distracted by the pigs and forgot to close the lid，and so the white paint on the wall kept falling into the jar.A while later，after Wang Zhihe had settled down all the pigs，the dried tofu had already turned into dried stinky tofu.
