Take a deep breath. And again. Do you smell it? Oh come on, try again! This week’s What’s That? Wednesday is the Asian delicacy, stinky tofu. The dish comes by it’s name honestly.
We have spent this past week exploring some of the local Suzhou sights. Because it is a holiday week, there were many people out exploring and celebrating. Part of the celebration included favorite foods such as stinky tofu.
We got our first whiff, literally, on Monday when we were on Walking Street in Suzhou. The smell is so overwhelming and terrible, there really isn’t a nice way to say it. Jamie likened it to China’s blue cheese and my mom suggested sauerkraut.
From what I understand, the smell is terrible, but the taste is mild. I’m not brave enough to find out if that is true. The best way to describe the smell is rotten flesh with a little manure mixed in...and then fry it in hot oil.
After we got back from Walking Street, I felt as if the stinky tofu smell was clinging to my hair and wouldn’t let go. Not a pleasant thing!
We were so fortunate to smell it again on Tuesday as we visited Tong Li, an ancient water town south of Suzhou Industrial Park. The tofu was fried in hot oil and then put on skewers for people to munch on as they toured the town. I think our family will pass on this treat!
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| Frying the tofu. I think the small, round canisters have dipping sauce in them. |
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| Time to dig in! |
contrary to what my friends told me, it tasted just like it smelled. not something i'll try twice! :)
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