Tofu originated in China and later became an integral part of Buddhist temple cuisine. Traditionally in Japan, tofu-makers would wheel their freshly-made tofu in pushcarts around the neighbourhood at dawn to supply tofu for the households’ morning miso soup.

Tofu is made from ground soybeans that have been cooked and strained and then coagulated with nigari, a concentrated salt extracted from seawater. Tofu has a cooling energy and it is recommended to eat it cooked. It is balanced with a salty rather than a sweet taste, and so is avoided in sweet desserts.