Chou Dofu (Stinky Tofu)

Golden Stinky TofuChou dofu, its literal translation: stinky tofu, is a popular roadside snack in China and Taiwan. The distinct smell can be described as both mouth watering and repulsive. I remember smelling this fetid dish in New York when I was a child. As I walked down Main Street in Flushing, Queens holding my mother's hand my other hand would be strategically placed over my nose. My relatives all loved eating stinky tofu and I could never understand why. For those of you that haven't smelled stinky tofu before, I am not sure words can accurately describe it. Think of your favorite scent, the scent you feebly close your eyes and take in to try and prolong. Whether its freshly baked cream puffs from Beard Papa's on Broadway, or your significant other's t-shirt, just imagine it. Now think of the exact opposite. It should begin to smell like rotting summer garbage.

Stinky tofu, usually fried, is prepared by marinating chunks of tofu in brine consisting of fermented milk, meat, and vegetables. The specific features of stinky tofu depend on the area of preparation. The classic golden fried color is the most popular but black Hunan-style stinky tofu is a treat as well. Wooden carts containing a weathered wok, boxes of packaged tofu, jugs of oil, and various spices and sauces line the streets of Shanghai as migrant workers struggle to make a living.

In honesty, I have never tried stinky tofu before. Partly due to my slight soy allergy but mostly due to my wanting to puke every time I smell it. Some of the other NYU study abroad students thoroughly enjoy it and encourage the rest of us to brave it out. The students that are more in-tune with their Chinese heritage or travel to East Asia often say the smell doesn't do it any justice. The rest of us hold our breaths and rush past street vendors as they prepare the dish for throngs of adoring foodies. It has gotten to the point where the task of trying stinky tofu has become the short end of losing drinking games in NYU Shanghai. It is considered a foul dish in popular TV culture. Andrew Zimmerman commented on his show, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, and said stinky tofu was “overpowering with its rotten taste.” The Amazing Race Asia had its contestants eat a big bowl of stinky tofu as a challenge. The same stinky tofu that is so popular here in China. I have another 3 months here and in that time I do plan on trying stinky tofu, whether its under the influence of friends or possibly alcohol.