The Flavor of the New Year: The Traditional "Tofu Making" Custom in Southern Hubei
From Stone Mill to the Tip of the Tongue: A Two or Three-Day Family Tradition of Culinary Creation Introduction In the mountainous villages of southern Hubei, the custom of making tofu on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month is still preserved in some areas. In the past, when productivity was low, this task, commonly known as "Dǎ Dòufu" (Tofu Making), often required the participation of most of the family's labor force, especially the process of grinding the soaked soybeans into soy pulp using a stone mill. I vaguely remember the scene of the whole family gathered in the kitchen, busy making tofu: the young and strong men took turns pushing the stone mill, while the women were responsible for adding soybeans to the mill opening. The white raw soy milk, mixed with rough bean dregs, slowly flowed down the stone mill into the wooden bucket below. Today, although the most strenuous part—grinding the beans—has been replaced by machinery, the e...
