Taking Their Time

Over many centuries, humanity has used methods such as salting and fermentation to preserve easily spoiled food. For foods such as miso, kimchi, parmesan cheese and blue cheeses, extended periods of fermentation create unique flavors that appeal to gourmands.

Yilan County is prone to frequent summer typhoons and damp, windy winters, so many households here have traditionally fermented foods to preserve them. Thanks to those well-honed skills, the fermented tofu (a.k.a. fermented bean curd paste) produced in the area has earned a high reputation islandwide.

Every locale’s fermented tofu has its own unique flavor and mouthfeel. For example, the red fermented tofu produced in Okinawa, Japan is a favorite among Taiwanese tourists, who bring it back as a side dish for rice porridge. It is also available with added ingredients such as spring onion, red yeast rice, or pineapple.

Because of its climate and gravelly soil, the Erhu area of Huxi Village in Yilan’s Yuanshan Township is well suited to planting ‘Smooth Cayenne’ pineapples. It is the northernmost point in Taiwan where this variety is grown. In recent years farmers have been using these pineapples to ferment tofu. They have even opened tourist orchards, where visitors can pick the fruit for their own DIY fermented tofu. In this way, the locale is becoming linked in travelers’ memories to unforgettable flavors.

Early one winter morning, we visit the Erhu Pineapple Hall in Huxi Village to learn how farmers create fermented tofu. The hall itself earned a bronze medal for “leisure agriculture” from Yilan County in 2022.

You can scarcely hear a single vehicle on the village’s peaceful streets. The pineapples that grow in the fields on its mountain slopes are nourished by plentiful rainfall and sweet natural springs. The chatter of chickens and the calls of wild birds provide the soundtrack for an enjoyable visit.

The farmer Jiang Chaoqing takes us into the fields to pick fruit. We hesitate at first, wary of the prickly pineapple leaves. “Just take big strides and the leaves will make way for you!” instructs Jiang. His advice proves spot on.

Jiang says that ‘Smooth Cayenne’ have small fruit that are not as sweet as ‘Golden Diamond’ pineapples. But they have more fiber, with a slightly sour flavor and sweet aroma. They are truly delicious. In the summer these pineapples are a joy to eat fresh, and in the winter—with their high fiber and sourness—they become better suited to processing. Today they are being added to fermented tofu.

The fields of the Erhu area of Yilan’s Yuanshan Township, in the foothills of the Xueshan mountain range, provide a tranquil environment for pineapples to grow.

Flavored by Mother Nature

At first Jiang used bean koji (the mold Aspergillus oryzae) to create standard fermented tofu, but after the autumn equinox there was insufficient sunlight to warm the jars, so the fermentation process came to a halt. Then a customer recommended that he use pineapple enzymes as a substitute for koji. After many failed attempts, he ultimately succeeded, and now he produces pineapple fermented tofu year round.

Under the covered walkways of the Pineapple Hall, chunks of tofu are drying in the winter air. The process has been adjusted to meet people’s preference nowadays to cut down on sodium consumption. You first need to quickly blanch the tofu to remove excess salt. Then you should wait for it to dry in the wind before beginning fermentation.

Inside the hall Jiang’s wife is bottling the tofu, putting the chunks into glass jars with a few pieces of licor­ice for added flavor. She then pours in a spoonful of pineapple juice and spreads a layer of the fruit, which she covers with a layer of granulated sugar, before repeating the whole procedure but substituting rice wine for the pineapple juice, as a sterilizer. The jars are then closed.

At that point, the jars are brought up to the roof to be exposed to the weather. The jars here show plenty of bubbles, a sign of their content’s vitality.

Jiang says that this fermented tofu, thanks to the pineapple enzymes and the exposure to sunlight, is ready to eat in one week, as opposed to the four months needed for fermentation with rice or bean koji. Furthermore, its texture only grows denser with time, and it won’t go brown even after four months.

Thanks to Mother Nature’s help, this fermented tofu has a dense and smooth mouthfeel. It is sweeter and less salty than standard versions. Jiang recalls that a Japanese person who came to learn about his methods told him, “The flavor is a lot like Japanese cheese.” US-based Taiwanese visitors miss the flavor so much that they helped him distribute it in the United States.

“Yilan has good water, so you know the stuff made with it is going to be good too.” Jiang displays no lack of confidence about locally produced food.

Once the tofu set outside in the sunshine has dried out, it can be used to make fermented tofu.

Tofu, pineapple, sugar and rice wine are placed into jars in layers. After a few pieces of licorice are added for flavor, it’s time to wait for fermentation to work its magic.

Jiang Chaoqing uses pineapples as a substitute for bean or rice koji. The fermented tofu will retain a golden color.

Entering Chinese and Western cuisines

Back when Taiwan was an agricultural society, a chunk of salty and sweetly fragrant fermented tofu was all that was needed to complement a bowl of rice. Hsieh Pao-chuan, a professor of food science at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, says that the enzymes in the fermenting process break down the tofu’s proteins into amino acids, making them more digestible, and the high quantities of pro­biotics are good for the health.

Chen Chien-li, an assistant professor of food science at National Taiwan Ocean University, explains that fermentation is a process wherein food is transformed by microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria or mold so as to preserve the food, improve its flavor, or increase its nutritional value. When fermenting tofu, the process typically involves dehydrating chunks of tofu by salting, then adding such ingredients as koji, Mucor fungi, rice wine, spices, red yeast rice or fruit to the tofu and leaving the mixture to ferment and mature. The process is similar to that of making blue cheese.

Pizza and risotto typically have cheese added to enhance their flavor and mouthfeel, and fermented tofu is likewise well suited as a strongly flavored sauce. Chen says that fermented tofu is typically quite salty and is often used in mutton stews to temper the gamey smell. It can also be used in stir-fries of water spinach, or in fish stews and dipping sauces for seafood, or to spread on bread or add to paella. One can even combine it with butter and garlic for a variation on garlic bread. It’s delicious whether used in Chinese or Western cooking.

Once placed in jars, the pineapple fermented tofu is brought to the rooftop to bask in the open air and sunshine.

Farmers in Erhu use their pineapples to make fermented tofu and dried fruit. The dried pineapple has a lot of fiber and a slightly sour taste. It retains its true pineapple flavor.

Instrument maker turns fermenter

Lee 13 (Lee Chun-cheng) has acquired a bit of a name for himself internationally for the erhu fiddles he produces. After living away from Yilan for many years, he returned to establish a workshop. Thanks to Yilan’s natural environment, he both discovered a more refined method of making high-quality erhu, and un­expect­edly became a “slashie” by starting a fermenting business.

“My erhu have a good tone. I’ve always been confident of that.” From early on Lee’s erhu fiddles had a bright, clear timbre, but it took a lot of bow pressure to bring the sound out, so few people could play them well. After spending 20 years in Yilan experimenting with different woods and treatments, he finally discovered a preservation method that allowed him to reduce the weight of the soundbox, improving their response. “Bang! The market for them exploded.”

With demand for his erhu steadily growing, Lee broadened his horizons and began to “play at making fermented foods.” Like many other families, the Lees used to make foods such as soy sauce and fermented tofu, and when they ran out they’d make some more. He didn’t especially treasure them. But when he gave some to his erhu customers, they soon asked if he had any for sale. That’s when he knew that he had selected the right gift.

Food spurs emotional connections and mem­ories. The French writer Marcel Proust, in his novel Remembrance of Things Past, tells a story about eating madeleines dipped in tea. Their taste and fragrance unexpectedly awake intense memories of childhood. The story is still admired today.

Lee’s fermented tofu brings him warm memories of his mother and grandmother. In the summer he makes a reserve of koji from brown rice, and then, when making fermented tofu, he bottles chunks of tofu with the koji and sugar, adds a bit of undiluted distilled spirits as a disinfectant, and leaves it to ferment and mature. When the jars are opened six months later, the fermented tofu is strongly fragrant and melts on the tongue. The flavors are refreshing and not overly salty, and they come in layers across the palate.

Drawing on the wisdom of nature, Yilan-based Lee 13, one of Taiwan’s master erhu makers, discovered a method to make lighter soundboxes for his instruments.

With their bright timbre and light bodies, the erhu made by Lee have acquired an international reputation.

The soy sauce brewing in this vat is “breathing deeply.” It requires occasional stirring, at which time one can judge the progress of the fermentation. Taking a sniff is the best way to gauge how well the brewing is going.

Brewing to the sound of fiddles

Behind Lee’s workshop, there is a grill under the eaves where some winter-crop daikon radish is being dried over charcoal. It carries the aroma of bonito. “This is ‘Taiwanese ginseng.’ It must be grilled on a low heat for seven days. Chicken soup made with it has an incomparably sweet fragrance.”

On the vast lawn sit eight vats in which soy sauce and miso are brewing. Occasionally the sounds of erhu float over from inside the house. To make soy sauce, Lee uses Yilan-grown black soybeans along with the spring water that flows from the Xueshan foothills and large quantities of coarse salt. During the fermentation, the koji mold produces enzymes that break down the plant proteins in the beans. In the winter, when humidity is high, you must pay vigilant attention to weather changes and stir occasionally. Only after being aged for six years is it fully brewed.

Time plays an important role whether brewing soy sauce and fermenting tofu or making an erhu. These artisanal endeavors each require great care. While enjoying a slower pace of life, the fermenters of Yilan demonstrate great patience in their pursuit of culinary excellence. Visitors shouldn’t miss the opportunity to taste this county’s “time-travel cuisine.”

These vats of fermenting soy sauce and miso can enjoy notes from erhu fiddles floating on the wind, as well as the sounds of nature.

Lee 13 returned to his hometown of Yilan to make exquisite fiddles and have fun fermenting. He discovered the pleasures of being a “slashie” in a place known for its slow pace of life.