2923 Adeline Street
Oakland, CA 94608
(check website for tour times)
Oakland, CA 94608
(check website for tour times)
For the past couple of months I've been scoping out a modestly sized booth at the farmer's market selling tofu. I've noticed that this company, Hodo Soy, also sells fresh tofu in tubs at Whole Foods and Rainbow Grocery. But, for some reason, I never sampled the products or took a leap of faith and went home with a block of tofu. So, it wasn't until my tour at the Hodo Soy Beanery that I tasted and fell in love with their soy products.
Soy beans are not all created equal. The protein content varies by variety, thus making the products that are made out of soy beans vary in quality and flavor. Hodo Soy uses a nutritionally dense, mature bean that's grown organically in the Midwest. Once this bean makes it out west to Oakland's Hodo Soy Beanery, it takes on many forms such as soy milk, yuba (tofu skin), and soft/medium/firm tofu - and even more flavors (tea-infused, braised tofu - um yeah!)
The Hodo Soy Beanery makes tofu making an art. As you look into the Beanery there are yuba skins slowly drippin soy milk into steaming trays - something that reminds me of papermaking and printmaking (weird?) - and employees hand pressing tofu by the slab (again, printmaking?). It's really beautiful. But, tofu isn't meant to be as easy on the eyes as it is the mouth - which luckily Hodo Soy has down pat. Spicy yuba strips, smoked tofu strips, tangy tofu salads, warm creamy soy milk and more were all on the sampling menu during the tour at the Beanery. I was so happy to have never tried Hodo Soy's product prior to the Beanery visit because tasting the spectrum (and by tasting I mean, eating...portions were very generous) of textures and flavors was priceless (the tour did cost $10...but definitely worth it in tofu!).
(image courtesy of dessertfirst.typepad.com)
