'Food is medicine' Daniel, the herbalist told me, and he has strong reason to believe
what he says. In 1978 living in Brooklyn, New York, he was hospitalised with a heart
condition so acute that for two days he was comatose. On discharge, he went to a health
food store where an assistant advised him to eat tofu every day. Two years later, at a
check up where he was given a clean bill of health the doctor asked him: 'What did you do,
rebuild your heart or what?'
 There is substantial research into the benefits of tofu -
soybean curd. It has a high protein content but, unlike meat, is credited with the
reduction of blood cholesterol and a lower risk of heart disease. The American FDA now
endorses soy products as beneficial for heart conditions.
Though
some recent research has thrown doubt on claims for tofu's health giving properties, there
is evidence that it can be beneficial in a number of ways.
It may ward off both breast and
prostate cancer. It is particularly useful for menopausal women looking for a natural
alternative to HRT, as the isoflavone content (one of the phytoestrogens) is a natural,
mild form of oestrogen and so helps reduce symptoms such as hot flashes. Rich in calcium,
it has been shown to increase bone density - hence guarding against osteoporosis. Recent
Japanese research has even shown that a particular type of tofu may have a role in
reducing harmful dioxins in the blood.
Whatever
the research shows (and methodologies are not always impartial) the Japanese have more
than science to support their belief in it. The longest living people in the world live
here - on the island of Okinawa - and their diet is exceptionally high in soy protein.
It's difficult to avoid tofu if you live in Japan. Many standard recipes make use of it. There are even tofu-only restaurants. You can buy it every day fresh - round
here a man has his bike basket full of it and
cycles round the
neighbourhood at sundown blowing his distinctive little horn, selling 'silk ' or 'cotton'
(the two consistencies) tofu just in time for the evening meal.
This
fresh form of tofu is white, the consistency of set yoghurt, and it's sold in square
blocks in water, not at all like those brownish chunks in shiny shrink wrap that you get
in western supermarkets. You can also get it dried.
But doesn't tofu just sound so worthy and
BORING - nothing more than phoney meat! Pious skinnier people eat tofu. Not me.
Before
I moved to Japan, that was certainly my attitude. Even after living here for some years,
when an American friend offered to bring a tofurkey to my Christmas dinner, I
sniggered. 'But it's so cute' she protested
'it has square drumsticks.'
On
that occasion my chum gave in and ate my old-style turkey (her Japanese husband clearly
preferred the previously living and gobbling variety). Ironically it was also my last
truly carnivorous dinner party. Since then I've 'bean' converted.
 Like most conversions, mine came about because of a
crisis - I broke out in a rash and sought help from Daniel
Babu who has studied Eastern herbalism in Tokyo for a decade. He gave me a new perspective
on food and a new respect for tofu. I don't
know how much it helped cure my rash, but it did make me feel healthier in general.
Despite
all that, it is hard to get enthusiastic about a food that is so bland (but isn't that
what potatoes are - and what about real turkey too?). Tofu needs help from other
ingredients to taste really good. Before adding it to dishes or sprinkling it with spices,
you drain the tofu first and put a weight on top for half an hour or so to squeeze the
water out. This helps to keep the tofu pieces together and not break up in the pan. For
dried tofu you soak for twenty minutes and then squeeze out excess liquid.
I've
been having fried tofu for breakfast (cut into cubes, sprinkled with black sesame seeds,
sea salt and fried with a little oil in a non-stick pan) as an alternative to eggs, but it
is with spices, as a curry or an ingredient in a stir fry that tofu really comes into its
own.
To
find the real thing, you may have to seek out a Japanese food store or possibly a health
food store, though you can dip a toe in by trying supermarket versions.
Experiment
and you'll be happily surprised. I was.
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