Abstract
Domestically produced soybean cultivated without an agricultural chemicals and GM-free tends to be used by tofu makers in preference to imported soybean, nigari being more popular than sumasi-ko. The density of tofu was greatest in the Okinawa region and mountainous area of the Shikoku region, while the price of tofu was highest in the central area of Japan, and lowest in the western and northern areas of Japan. Of the five makers interviewed in the Okinawa and the mountainous area of the Shikoku region, all manufacture tofu by the Namashibori method, and are unique in comparison with the other areas in using an iron kettle directly heated by gas. The Mg content is higher than that of Ca, and nigari is most commonly used in the current production of tofu, with Na-containing additives being supplemented. The hardness and gel strength are higher in the Shikoku and Okinawa regions, and lower in the Kanto and Tohoku regions.
