Heqiao Dried Tofu

Heqiao Dried Tofu

　　Heqiao Dried Tofu is a specialty of Heqiao Town, Yixing City, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. With a long history, Heqiao Dried Tofu is known for being salty without being astringent, sweet without being cloying, and fragrant without being overwhelming. When chewed slowly, it offers a rich aroma, sweetness, and a savory taste that seems endless.

　　Heqiao Dried Tofu is one of Yixing’s long-celebrated specialties, with a history said to date back over 130 years. Renowned for its exceptional flavor, it gained fame across the land and was even praised by emperors of the Qing Dynasty as a fine delicacy, earning the status of an imperial tribute. In 1950, over 100,000 kilograms of specially made Heqiao Dried Tofu were transported to Korea as comfort food for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, conveying deep sentiments from the people back home. In 2011, Heqiao Dried Tofu was included in the Wuxi Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

　　The production of Heqiao Dried Tofu involves high standards, requiring 12 meticulous steps from selecting premium ingredients to crafting the final product. These include bean selection and soaking, water filtration, grinding with a millstone, steam boiling, skimming foam and coagulating, pressing out water, slicing on trays, and blanching in boiling water. The tofu is then simmered in a special broth made with seasonings such as fennel, cinnamon, monosodium glutamate, sugar, and soy sauce, allowing the flavors to fully penetrate. Additionally, it benefits from being formed under high pressure, making it less prone to breakage and giving it a longer shelf life.

　　Today, the production and selection of ingredients for Heqiao Dried Tofu have become even more refined. The process, from soybean screening, impurity removal, soaking, grinding, boiling to packaging, involves a total of 19 steps, with most now mechanized and only two or three still done manually. In terms of seasoning, in addition to traditional soy sauce, sugar, and fennel, other ingredients such as cloves, refined salt, monosodium glutamate, kelp, and cinnamon are also used. In terms of varieties, new types such as “Seafood Dried Tofu,” “Shrimp Dried Tofu,” “Spicy Dried Tofu,” “Tar-like Dried Tofu,” and “Plain Dried Tofu” have been introduced, all using sterilized, vacuum-sealed soft packaging for preservation. Since 2006, Heqiao Dried Tofu has been available for purchase online, allowing people to buy authentic Heqiao Dried Tofu directly through the internet.