Banqiao Dried Tofu

Banqiao Dried Tofu

　　Banqiao Dried Tofu is a specialty of Banqiao Village, Yangwei Town, Yunxi County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province. With its pure flavor, spicy taste, authentic texture, and long-lasting aftertaste, Banqiao tofu is the perfect choice for gifts, business trips, travel, and gatherings.

　　Banqiao in Yunxi is located along the middle reaches of the Han River in Yunxi County, Shiyan City, Hubei Province. Legend has it that Zheng Banqiao, a famous painter of the Qing Dynasty and one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, once built a plank stone bridge here to benefit the local people, and later the bridge was named Banqiao. When Zheng Banqiao was building the bridge, his favorite dish was dried tofu made with Han River water and high-quality soybeans. To commemorate Zheng Banqiao, the locals named this kind of tofu “Banqiao tofu.” The tradition of making Banqiao tofu has been passed down since the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, boasting a history of 200 years.

　　Banqiao tofu is mainly made from the clear waters of the Han River, high-quality soybeans, and more than twenty kinds of natural spices. It undergoes a unique production process of twelve steps, including three washes, six hours of soaking, nine rounds of stone grinding, filtering, pulp rolling, boiling, wrapping, pressing, brining, sealing, and high-temperature sterilization, resulting in a delicious travel and leisure food.