Humble tofu occupies center stage in journalist Russell Thomas's deep dive into the engrossing world of bean curds. Tofu: A Culinary History far exceeds the promise of its title. The book's first chapter relates some origin myths of tofu (one of the most popular claims that it was the product of an ancient king's alchemical quest), while other chapters explore tofu's role in modern media, the future of soybeans as a crop in a world increasingly impacted by climate change, and the various colorful idioms that feature tofu (for instance, in Japan, "tōfu no kado ni atama wo butsukete shine," which means "[go] hit your head on a corner of tofu and die").
The book bursts with compelling facts, such as tofu's "legacy" as a "ghost food," which stems from 18th-century Chinese scholar Wang Ji, who wrote that it's "made from the soul of beans." Readers will also learn about tofu's role as a replacement for human flesh in historical rituals. Thomas proves his dexterity in the realm of the bean curd by covering a vast amount of material that spans centuries.
Tofu is exceedingly thorough. About one-third of its page count is dedicated to a glossary, a selection of recipes, a bibliography, and nearly 40 pages of references. The best books on singular topics leave readers feeling as if they've become something of an expert, and Tofu achieves this thanks to Thomas's wide-ranging research and expert compilation. --Nina Semczuk, writer, editor, and illustrator