Stinky Tofu • 臭豆腐

Hello, my name is Halden Levin, and you are listening to Little Dragon’s Journey. 你好！我叫李靜辰，你正在聽小龍的旅程。

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I will confess. I actually like stinky tofu. I don’t think it’s stinky, and to be honest, I find that kind of disappointing. When I started to do some research into what wonderful foods Taiwan has to offer, besides fruit, I encountered stinky tofu, and by the name, it would seem to be a rather unappetizing delicacy. However, being vegetarian most of the time, given the opportunity, I really wanted to try stinky tofu. I mean how many Americans can say they’ve eaten stinky tofu. I don’t have the statistics, but not many, I’m guessing.

You’re probably wondering why would someone name stinky tofu stinky? And if it is stinky, what makes stinky tofu stinky? Good questions! Stinky tofu is called stinky tofu because it does have a very strong, characteristic scent. Some may say its scent is stinky, others not, including myself. It’s truly hard to describe stinky tofu’s smell. Objectively speaking, it is the smell of fermented tofu. Yes. Fermented tofu. The stink, the smell, comes from fermentation.

The tofu is traditionally soaked in a brine for days, weeks, or even months. If left in the brine for mere days, the tofu is not actually fermented, but I suppose you could say, odorized (not de-odorized, odorized). In Taiwan, you can find stinky tofu at night markets, in restaurants, and at stands on the sidewalk. There are many different cooking methods, including frying, steaming, roasted, stewed, but the most common form is fried. Stinky tofu is practically always served with pickled cabbage, and you can also add garlic or spice for another punch of flavor.

After one-two months out of quarantine, I’ve had stinky tofu three different times. The first time, I ate fried stinky tofu with pickled cabbage at Ruifeng Night Market in Kaohsiung with my host family’s niece/cousin named Cindy/Ting Hui. The second time, I ate two different types of fried stinky tofu with two different types of pickled cabbage at a small restaurant called 京香臭豆腐 (Jingxiang Stinky Tofu) in Kaohsiung with my host family (excluding my host brothers). The third time, I ate fried stinky tofu with pickled cabbage and garlic at 佳里阿彌專業臭豆腐 (Jiari Ami Specialty Stinky Tofu) in Tainan with my host family’s friends. Of the three, my favorite would definitely be number two. Would go back again.

To be honest, I not a fan of fried food, but stinky tofu is special. It’s something that I can’t find in the United States, so I may as well get my fill while I’m here. I’m really hoping to try some other types and taste the stinkiest tofu in Taiwan. There is a saying “越臭越好吃,” which means the stinkier, the tastier. Well, I’m heading in that direction. No stopping me now.

Oh, and if you’re interested. I’m sharing a link to recipe for stinky tofu from Barrel Leaf’s or Nora’s blog site on the “Culinary Adventures” page.

Transition Music（音樂）

Please visit haldenlevin.wixsite.com/littledragonjourney to access the transcript of this episode, and know you are always welcome to contact me through my website, email, or social media. Thank you for joining Little Dragon’s Journey. 謝謝你們參加小龍的旅程。拜拜！