ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tofu

n. uncountable
A2 Elementary US //ˈtoʊfu// UK //tˈəʊfuː// to·fu

n. a soft, white food made from soy milk. It is a popular ingredient in many Asian dishes and is often used as a meat substitute.

n. a soft, bland food product made by coagulating soy milk and pressing the resulting curds into blocks. Frequently used as a protein source in vegetarian and vegan diets.


SIMPLE

I like to fry tofu until it is crispy.

CONTEXTUAL

The chef marinated the tofu in ginger and soy sauce before adding it to the vegetable stir-fry.

COMPLEX

While traditionally a staple of East Asian cuisine, tofu has gained global popularity as a versatile ingredient capable of absorbing the complex flavours of various spices and sauces.

Origin

Borrowed from Japanese 豆(とう)腐(ふ) (tōfu), from Middle Chinese 豆腐 (duwᴴ bju^X, “curdled bean”). Doublet of dubu and doufu.

Usage

Usually treated as uncountable when referring to the food substance, though it can be countable when referring to specific blocks or varieties.

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