Talk:Stinky tofu/Archive 1

stinky tofu 101
ok, i'm confused. i buy a lot of stinky tofu and it is called something like "fu yi". is this a brand name or some sort of play on the last emperor Fu Yi?

either way, this is the sole term ever used, on jars from chicago to singapore. i've never seen "chou dofu" even once!

is this a different food? if so, the distinction should be clearly explained here, with a link to a "fu yi" page added down the bottom.

if they're one and the same, i'd suggest changing the parentheticals to "fu yi", since it is clearly the default term for the stuff. 66.105.218.27 (talk) 03:59, 14 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I imagine you're talking about Fuyu -- a broader term, but one which isn't generally used to refer to Stinky Tofu. You're probably right that the connection and the distinction between these terms should be noted. I'll place a link in the 'See Also' for the moment. 124.149.179.205 (talk) 05:15, 17 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Did you mean Furu? --Ahyangyi (talk) 04:37, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

comparison to cheese...
The comparison to cheese is flawed.

"Unlike cheese, stinky tofu fermentation does not..."

That would be comparing home produced smelly tofu with commercially produced cheese. An industrial smelly tofu is likely to have a controlled culture. Cheese can also use rennet, making this comparison weak.

"fixed formula for starter bacteria"

a defined or controlled culture would be much clearer than saying a 'formula'.

Cheese historically has had wide regional and individual variations. Again this is not a good comparison.

-an anonymous newbie — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.40.218.20 (talk) 08:41, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

Article Title
As a Brit living in China I have only ever heard of this dish referred to as 'Smelly tofu' from both Chinese and foreigners. I hereby propose the article name be changed to 'Smelly tofu'. I understand this is a much better translation of 臭豆腐 in any case. This would also eliminate the need to explain that the character 臭 (chou) doesn't actually mean stinky.

From Chinadaily.com: "Smelly tofu causes havoc in plane" - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-06/30/content_629895.htm

Thoughts? (Idiotic ally (talk) 09:26, 28 May 2008 (UTC))


 * Most translations use "smelly"; I suspect this usage is an intentional euphemism. If it can be shown to be the common usage, then renaming is appropriate.  However, as for 臭 not meaning stinky, my background is Cantonese, but it's almost always used to mean stinky in Cantonese and has a negative connotation, with the exception of foods such as 臭豆腐. There are other specific terms for specific unpleasant odours (the smell of urine, for example, has a different term), but 臭 is a pretty standard term for "unpleasant odour" AKA "stink". Kelvinc (talk) 02:37, 28 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Regarding the statement that most translations use "smelly": "stinky tofu" brings up a lot more Google results than "smelly tofu", including Google Books and News; OR-wise, it's also the only translation I've heard (mostly from Cantonese speakers, but also locals and expats in Yunnan). "Smelly tofu" does appear to be in use, but "stinky tofu", at present, appears to be the most common English translation. Probably just because it's more fun to say.--Fullobeans (talk) 19:31, 22 September 2008 (UTC)


 * The Dictionary of Hong Kong English lists both terms, but with 'smelly tofu' in preference.

- an anonymous newbie — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.40.218.20 (talk) 08:29, 7 October 2011 (UTC)

Chinese vs. Japenese
While I am generally opposed to gratuitous efforts to replace established Japanese terms with Chinese ones (this kind of thing is usually perpetrated by disgruntled Chinese speakers who feel that their language should predominate over Japanese), in this case I feel there are good grounds for using the Chinese name. After all, it is mainly eaten in China and is hardly known to the Japanese.

Hmm?Can I say that you are a digrunntled English speak who feel that Japanese language should dominate over Chinese?--209.89.123.159 03:15, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

Bathrobe


 * I don't see any Japanese on the page, unless you're talking about the word "tofu" itself. I don't believe it can be proved that "tofu" was borrowed originally either Chinese or Japanese.  Besides, you're contradicting the statement I supported you on on Talk:Tofu, that "tofu" is now an English word.  &mdash; Pekinensis 16:48, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Do you feel that Chou Doufu should be removed? I had occasion here in China recently to see laowai referring to it as 'stinky tofu'. Perhaps it is best simply to leave 'chou doufu' in parentheses as the Chinese name.

Bathrobe 20 April 2005


 * I removed it, and did some other tidying. Somebody should really translate more information from the Chinese article, but I'm feeling lazy.  &mdash; Pekinensis 15:35, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)

how do you make this stinky tofu dish?

actually the stinky tofu was not marinated in a brine made from fermented vegetables. in the old tradition, it was made from fermented little haulm and a lot of pork or any other meat,right now people normally use zymogen. because the sanitation law.

the most customer are chinese. the fry stinky tofu nomally have two different color, one is golden, the other is black(finished product).

i am a chinese and i am one of famous city which like eating stinky tofu. my city`s stinky tofu is black. as i known the smell did not nausea. people tell me the bad smell just happend during the production. when stinky tofu is finished we will pour piquancy sauce and some chinese sauce on the tofu, then the smell is very good. nobody dispute it in my city. some of city eat stinky tofu without any sauce, one of the reasion is part of stinky tofu is empty, then the empty stinky tofu will drink in some sauce, then the taste will getting very better. if you do not carefull enough it will blow up when you try to crunch it.

it is a small story: there is a old lady, she live in a deep lane. she made stinky tofu one hundred piece, just one hundred, not more or not less. but people stand in a line to wanting her stinky tofu every day, and every one have a amount limit. in my city also have great snack restaurant which name is "huo gong dian", the most famouse eating is stinky tofu, not olny can find in night market, this situation is same to others city.--212.120.84.185 22:24, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Amy Kilvington?
Who is s/he? Name is mentioned in the Trivia section; nothing on Wikipedia, only Google result is for this article. Is it a typo?--Anchoress 02:34, 23 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Oh, it's gone.--Anchoress 00:18, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

Does anybody know where I can buy this product..
I want to eat this....in USA... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.189.226.124 (talk) 21:02, 19 June 2012 (UTC)

text removed from Taiwanese cuisine article
General description:

Stinky to-fu is a popular local food in Taiwan and many other Chinese regions such as Hong Kong and Shanghai. The reason of why it is called as “Stinky to-fu” is because of its strong unpleasant odour. Back in the Qing dynasty, Stinky to-fu was already a dish in the royal family’s meal. Besides, it is also one of the favourite food of the Empress CiXi (慈禧太后). Stinky to-fu can generally be classified into two main kinds, which are soft stinky to-fu(臭豆腐乳) and dried stinky to-fu (臭豆腐乾).

History and origin:

According to the folk stories, stinky to-fu was invented by a person who named Wong Zi Wo (王致和)in the Qing dynasty. However the versions of the exact story are quite varied.

Soft Stinky to-fu:

Because of failing the imperial examination, Wong Zi Wo stayed in Beijing and relied on selling to-fu to make a living. One day, because of the huge quantity of redundant to-fu, he tried to cut the to-fu into small cubes and put them into an earthen jar. After several days, he opened up the jar and found out that the to-fu had turned into greenish and become extremely smelly. He tasted the “stinky greenish to-fu” and it was surprisingly delicious. And so he decided to sell those “stinky greenish to-fu” as a commodity in his shore.

Dried skinty to-fu:

During the KangXi period, Wong Zi Wo was a to-fu seller as well as a pig feeder. One day, he was making dried to-fu with an earthen jar. After he putted all the seasonings into the jar, he was districted by the pigs and forgot to close the lid, and so the white paint on the wall kept falling into the jar. A while ago, after Wong Zi Wo had settled down all the pigs, the dried to-fu had already turned into the dried stinky to-fu.

The Taiwanese culture of eating stinky to-fu:

Deep fried stinky to-fu:

Deep fried stinky to-fu is a common dish in both Taiwan night markets and restaurants. And before the 90s hawkers even wandered around the street and peddled deep-fried stinky to-fu. In Taiwan, people usually eat the deep fried stinky to-fu with the local sweet and sour pickled vegetable in order to relieve the greasiness.

Spicy stinky to-fu:

Spicy stinky to-fu is a new cooking method of stinky to-fu in Taiwan. Because of the prevalence of spicy hot pot, Taiwanese people came up with a new idea of forming a rich-favoured spicy hot pot soup base by using stinky to-fu, duck blood and Chinese sauerkraut as the ingredients. This innovative cooking method of stinky to-fu is really popular in the Taiwanese society nowadays.

Soft Stinky to-fu:

Soft Stinky to-fu commonly used as a condiment for rice, bread, congee or noodle. It can also be used as a seasoning for cooking.

Stinky to-fu shashlik:

Stinky to-fu shashlik is a popular cooking method of stinky to-fu in the Taipei Shenkeng province and many of the Taiwan night markets. After stabbing the bamboo stick through the stinky to-fu, the “yakitori” is then roasted on the charcoal with the roasted meat sauce. And because of the huge amount of seasonings, the unpleasant odour of the stinky to-fu shashlik is comparatively weaker. Therefore Stinky to-fu shashlik is always recommended for the people who firstly try stinky to-fu.

Other cultures of eating stinky to-fu:

Hong Kong:

this text was part of Taiwanese cuisine:

Unlike the diverseness in Taiwan, the way of cooking stinky to-fu in Hong Kong is usually deep fry. And rather than eating the deep fried stinky to-fu with the pickled vegetable, Hong Kong people usually enjoy the deep fried stinky to-fu with the sweet source and the chili source.

Mainland China:

The ways of eating stinky to-fu in different provinces of Mainland China are actually quite varied.

•	Anhwei(安徽)

In Anhwei, the deliciousness of stinky to-fu mainly depends on its spiciness. The spicier it is, the more it suits the local flavour. http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!5SWvgtaHGho436uhz6m2/article?mid=1460

•	Beijing (北京)

Wong Zi Wo Stinky to-fu shop is a China time-honored brand in Beijing which famous for its soft stinky to-fu.

•	Changsha(長沙)

The stinky to-fu in the Fire Palace Restaurant(火宫殿) is definitely an “official representative” of the stinky to-fu in Changsha. The most distinctive characteristics of the Changsha’s stinky to-fu are that the to-fu is slightly greyish and there is a layer of white hair on it. Moreover, it usually serves with garlic source, chili and oil after deep fry. However, some unscrupulous stinky to-fu sellers in the Mainland China preserve their stinky to-fu with faeces in order to strengthen the unpleasant odour. And this seriously challenges the hygienic safety of the stinky to-fu in the Mainland China.

(Heroeswithmetaphors)  talk  18:30, 9 October 2011 (UTC)

Taiwan street peddlers today?
It says "And before the 90s hawkers even wandered around the street and peddled deep-fried stinky to-fu." They were still wandering the streets when I was there in 2002-2003, does anyone know if they still are? I just want to know if I should change this to "Up to the early 2000's" or just get rid of the time qualification altogether. Braneof (talk) 15:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Article is disorganized
This article has good information but it is disorganized. There is a section on Mainland China but then various other sections on regional variations within Mainland China are spread throughout other parts of the article. A similar situation exists for Taiwan. Would anybody be opposed if I were to move Mainland China regional content into subsections under Mainland China and then similarly reorganize content about Taiwan? Thanks, Dave (djkernen)|Talk to me|Please help! 17:42, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Please do. J IM ptalk·cont 02:10, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Use of passive voice in article
I just added the original research tag due to this paragraph:

"From a distance, the odor of stinky tofu is said to resemble that of sewage or a garbage dump, even by its enthusiasts. In spite of stinky tofu's smell, the flavor is surprisingly mild. Some have compared it to the taste of blue cheese. It is said the more it smells, the better it tastes."

Please rewrite this in a non-passive voice. Talking from the third person like that without citing references (Who claims that the odor of stinky tofu resembles a garbage dump?) is generally frowned upon in Wikipedia. 71.177.5.112 05:57, 27 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Professor Amy Kilvington is an expert in tofu and she is fairly well known in the North of England. She is renowned for her expertise in the preparation on tofu dishes. She is also a model. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.78.84.82 (talk) 23:41, 19 January 2011 (UTC)


 * The issue is not a passive-active voice one. There are valid uses of the passive voice; as it stands this (the first sentence) is one.  Without attribution the passive is correct.  The issue is this lack of attribution.  Yes, we should say who says this.  If we do so, perhaps the active voice would make better sense.  J IM ptalk·cont 02:09, 3 October 2012 (UTC)


 * Not sure what the Amy Kilvington thing was about, as that seems to have since been removed from the article. In any case, the article was still lacking any citation for the smelly feet comparison, so I've just added one from an article by an L.A. Times restaurant critic.  --Dan Harkless (talk) 01:15, 15 September 2018 (UTC)

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