Soyfoods in Chinese Cuisine

Abstract

Tofu, soymilk, soy sauce have become commonly known foods around the world. Hot dogs, burgers, protein supplements, and granola bars all made with soy protein isolate--how are these related to foods made from soybeans? Can all these foods be categorized as soyfoods? The history of “soyfoods” in Chinese cuisine is both longer and shorter than one might expect and highly dependent on vocabulary. While the production and consumption of foods made with soybeans in China extends thousands of year into the past, thinking and writing about these foods as “soyfoods” is of more recent vintage. The predominant narrative for the history of “soyfoods” has largely focused on the technological developments that enabled the creation of soyfoods such as tofu, soy sauce, and soybean milk, as well as certain gaps left unanswered or unresolved. Newer scholarship has adopted a more systems-oriented analysis that has complicated more essentialist accounts by expanding our understanding of the interrelationships between soybeans, state power, and global trade.