How tofu is made

Quality is like everything else in life: it is the result of careful and precise work.

From soybeans to soy milk

We wash the organic soybeans and soak them. After ten to twelve hours, the beans have doubled in size. We grind the swollen beans with water to make soy purée and boil the mixture. All the skins and fibres are sieved out, leaving a milky-coloured liquid that you all know: so-called ‘soy milk’.

The soy milk is transformed

Now comes the part that actually resembles cheese making, only without cow's milk: where the cheesemaker curdles the milk with rennet, we add calcium sulphate and magnesium chloride to the ‘soya milk’. Magnesium chloride originates in Japan and can be concentrated from seawater, in which case it is called nigari. We currently obtain our magnesium chloride from the Netherlands, where it naturally occurs in the soil (which is why it cannot be called nigari). Calcium sulphate is extracted from limestone and, in our case, comes from the Harz region in Germany.

This causes the ‘soya milk’ to flocculate, separating the whey from the high-quality soya protein.

The soy curds are pressed

The next step is also similar to what happens in a cheese dairy: We collect the soy curds, transfer them to a tofu press and compress the soy curd mass into blocks of solid tofu. These blocks are then cut into shape and cooled in a water bath. The result is plain, unembellished tofu, which you may have already eaten. While our "Plain Firm Tofu” is packaged immediately, for our other tofu specialities the enhancement stage begins.

Enhancement No. 1: Tofu with herbs

Now comes the fun part for our sensory evaluation team: They cook up the best flavour combinations. Tofu with herbs, with turmeric, or blended with vegetables ‒ by now we have proven recipes for all varieties. We also have contracting partners who reliably deliver ingredients in the best organic quality and who grow basil and wild garlic especially for us. We use oils for frying that are particularly high in oleic acid and can therefore be heated to high temperatures.

Here comes our product development team's favourite part. They create new specialities and work out what tastes best. Tofu with herbs or mixed with vegetables – we now have a number of sophisticated recipes. And we have contract suppliers who can provide us with high quality organic ingredients like basil and wild garlic. For frying, we use oils that are particularly rich in oleic acid and can therefore be heated to high temperatures.

Enhancement No. 2: Smoked Tofu

In the past, food was smoked mainly to improve itsshelf life. Today we do it simply because it tastes delcious. We smoke our tofu by means of a friction smoking process, in which a metal gear rubs against a piece of wood. The temperature of the smoke remains at 300 to 400°C instead of up to 800°C in a traditional wood-fired smoker oven. We direct the smoke into the smoking chamber where our Tofu Sausages Tofiner and our Smoked Tofu get their aroma.

Enhancement No. 3: Fermented Tofu

In Asia, fermented tofu and other fermented soy products like tempeh and shoyu have been part of traditional diet for hundreds of years. Our fermented tofu is called FETO, and is made by adding vegan cultures to plain tofu. Naturally, we only use plant-based cultures, such as are used to make vegan cheese or plant-based yoghurt. Fermentation gives the tofu a mildly sour taste and also breaks down most of the sugar and carbohydrates.

The path to the organic shelf

This is also part of the process: we package and pasteurise all our tofu, refrigerate it and send it to you as quickly as possible. Taifun Tofu is now available in almost all German organic markets and and a growing number of sumermarkets. It is also available in various European countries.

We hope you enjoy it!