History of Natto and Its Relatives (1405-2012 - SoyInfo Center

equired” (p. 307).
“Soybean milk powder will undoubtedly have a
successful future in the Orient as well as in European
countries and the United States. Its great advantage in
comparison with cow’s milk powders is its cheapness.
Soybean milk powder can be easily stored and transported...
It is believed that at present some of the commercial milk
powders contain an admixture of soybean milk powder” (p.
307-08).
“Yu P’i and Yu Ba are the Chinese and Japanese names
of the pellicula formed on the surface of soybean milk
when the latter is gently heated. Good Yu Ba has a bright
yellow color when properly dried. The best Yu Ba is that
obtained after the fi rst heating. In repeating the heating of
the remaining soybean milk, pellicules of gradually inferior
quality and color are obtained. As much as 30 pellicules can
be secured from the same portion of soybean milk. In China,
a product called Fu Chu is manufactured in a way similar to
Yu Ba (Footnote: See this journal, Vol. VIII, 1926, p. 179).
Recently an improved method for the manufacture of Yu Ba
was patented in Japan, consisting in the use of an electric fan
adjusted over the surface of a kettle containing the soybean
milk heated to a temperature of 90ºC.
“Yu Ba has a great nutritive value, as it contains a high
percentage of protein and fat,...”
A table (p. 309) gives the nutritional composition of fi ve
types of yuba: Common yuba, Kyoto yuba, Shimada yuba,
Peking yuba, and Fu chu.
Note: The values for Fu chu are based on those
previously reported by Adolph. Fu chu contains much more
water (53.68%) than any of the other four types of yuba;
common yuba contains only 21.85% and Peking yuba only
9.15%. So it is either fresh or reconstituted.
“In Japan, Kyoto and Nikko are noted for Yu Ba. Yu
Ba is in much demand in China and Japan and is used in
numerous ways as an essential ingredient in many very
palatable dishes. Its price is high and therefore yuba is used
only by the rich.”
Reprinted in 1927 as part of an 86-page monograph
titled “The Soybean as Human Food” (Peking, China).
Address: M.D., Peking Union Medical College, China.
183. Horvath, A.A. 1927. The soybean as human food.
Chinese Economic Journal 1(4):415-25. April. [34 footnotes.
Eng]
• Summary: Contents: Soybean curd (tofu) for food:
Preparation and types (“The Chinese classical name for tofu
is li chi, probably meaning ‘the morning prayer’”), historical,
present state (of tofu in China), chemical composition,
digestibility, utilization (incl. frozen tofu and fried tofu).
Fermented soybean products for food. Soy sauce: Kibiki
and sobiki tamari, composition of various soy sauces. Natto.
Miso. Conclusion. Bibliography.
Tofu–Historical (p. 416): “The manufacture of soybean
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 106
curd (tofu) was started in China in 164 B.C., during the reign
of the Emperor Han Wen, by a man named Liu An, the duke
of Hwai Nan. Liu An was a great friend of the Buddhist
monks, and it seems quite probable that he made this bean
curd to provide a change or delicacy to break the monotony
of the monastic ration (Adolph). Tofu was introduced into
Japan from Korea for the fi rst time during the Toyotomi
government, and Buddhist priests and some other people
used it for their daily food among others before it was
generally used in Japan.
Tofu–Utilization (p. 418-19): “Both the composition
and the digestibility of tofu, therefore, prove it to be a very
nutritious food material. In the Orient tofu forms a very
popular and almost indispensable dietary article for the
Buddhist priests, as well as the strict adherents to Buddhism,
who eat no animal food [i.e., are vegans]. A common saying
in some parts of China terms ‘bean milk the poor man’s milk,
and bean curd the poor man’s meat.’ Tofu is also called ‘the
meat without the bones.’
Note: This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Dec. 2010) that contains the phrase “the meat without
the bones.” Note that it refers to tofu and not to soybeans.
In Indo-China the daily consumption of tofu by an adult
is about 3/4 of a pound. Tofu in its various forms is also used
very extensively by all classes of Japanese. In the interior of
the country where fi sh cannot be easily obtained, it is a most
important source of protein.
“In the Orient tofu is eaten in a fresh condition simply
with a little shoyu, though it is also frequently cooked in
soup. Fried tofu is also a very popular article of food. Rapeseed
oil, sesame oil or soybean oil are generally used in
frying.
“Tofu may also be prepared for preservation and
transportation. For this purpose fresh tofu is cut into smaller
pieces and exposed to severe cold weather, to remove the
water by freezing, and is then dried in an oven. As thus
prepared it can be preserved for several years. When the tofu
is frozen the water collects in fi ne needles of ice distributed
throughout the mass. When the ice melts and the water runs
out, it leaves the tofu porous and it may be easily dried. If it
is not frozen, it is diffi cult to dry and the resulting material is
dense and horn-like. The tofu also cooks very well if cooked
in diluted soy sauce and smoked in the same manner as
meat. The resulting product forms in the Orient the basis for
the manufacture of various ‘artifi cial meat’ preparations.*”
Footnote: * “In Germany, the Soyama factory prepared
during the Great War [World War I] a meat supplement
from soybeans. It was cheaper than beef, contained less
carbohydrates and had a nutritive value of about 1500
Calories in 1 kilo.”
“In Peking, at the Kai Cheng Bean Products Company,
various preparations manufactured from tofu may be
purchased, such as different kinds of soybean meat, soybean
sausages, etc. The company has established a restaurant in