D is for Dòufu 豆腐

Before I came to China, I never liked dòufu (豆腐) or tofu as most Americans call it; and I certainly didn't know it came in all shapes and sizes. The dòu in dòufu means "bean" as in the soybeans it's made from. The fu actually means "rotten" if you separate it out. I'm not sure where you want to go with that. (Okay, curdled or fermented does sound better.) Anyway, I love it now; in all shapes and sizes. It has the great quality of taking on the flavors within the sauce (spicy or sweet) or other foods it's mixed with, and is often used in soups.

Various Doufu photo by Tinnytintin

 Bamboo & Doufu Soup by Cathy Yeh

 Mapo Doufu by Open-arms

 Doufu Dish by Effie Yang

My favorite way to eat it is stir fried with chives.

The only kind I've found so far that I have no desire to eat is chòu dòufu(臭豆腐)or"stinky doufu."

 Stinky Doufu by Larry Lee

Also in China, people have been drinking warm soy milk, dòujiāng (豆浆), long before it became a health craze in the West. I can remember visiting the countryside over ten years ago and being offered a hot frothy mug; and China's history stretches way beyond the limited spans of our US few hundreds of years. Ancient, we would call it.  I feel grateful to be able to experience such a rich culture and expanse of history, especially when it comes to food.

Soybeans or soy milk are also really good for you... so eat or drink up!

 Warm Soy Milk and Youtiao by Jedi RC

I am linking to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. There are so many great posts to read here.