Tofu

This year, I attended a Thanksgiving dinner where both turkey and Tofurky (a vegetarian “turkey,” constructed from tofu) were being served. A few of the meat-eaters unwittingly ended up with Tofurky instead of “the real deal.” However, they had not noticed, until one girl pointed to her friend’s plate and asked, “Are you vegetarian?” When it dawned on the Tofurky-eater that she had mistaken the Tofurky for the turkey, she seemed disgusted, though only seconds before that, she had been happily consuming the Tofurky. Why this reaction?

Tofu seems to be a very misunderstood food. Many people think that its only purpose is to serve as a substitute for meat in meals. “It doesn’t taste anything like meat!” some people say, “It doesn’t taste like anything.” Others insist that it tastes like chicken. The truth is, tofu can have many different flavors because it has the tendency to absorb the flavor of any of the food that surrounds it. (This is one of the reasons why proper storage of tofu calls for the tofu to be fully submerged in water. The water should be changed daily for the best results; this is also to allow the tofu to maintain its moisture content.)

Tofu is a soy product. It is generally low in calories and fat, but a great source or iron, calcium, and protein. Because of its nutritional value, it often becomes a key component in a vegetarian diet. However, tofu is healthy for everyone, regardless of the choice one has made between eating meat or not. Though once hard to find, tofu is now available in most large grocery stores. Tofu can be eaten plain, added to soup, used in a stir-fry dish or just about any other kind of dish. Though tofu originated in China, and is more common in Asian dishes, it has now found its way into cuisine around the world.

Try to avoid fried tofu. While most forms of tofu are healthy, fried tofu is an obvious exception. The fact that it’s tofu does not change the composition of what it’s fried in. Other than that, tofu is usually a healthy choice. Try swapping a meat or poultry dish for one that includes tofu in order to cut out some fat, while maintaining a high intake of protein in your weekly diet.