Soy milk, and yuba and bean-curd sticks made from it.
Tofu skin is the thin film lifted from hot soy milk and dried; this entry covers the sheet form. It is made in many parts of China, including Dongwushan in Fuyang, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and Shiping in Yunnan. Lifting the film, drying it and using it in dishes appear in the tofu entry in Bencao Gangmu, but the cited page has no date and cannot establish when these local products originated.
What
Tofu skin is the thin film that forms on hot soy milk, lifted off and dried into sheets. This entry covers the sheet form; fuzhu, which is hung into sticks, has a separate entry.1,2
When
Lifting and drying the film on soy milk, naming it tofu skin and using it in dishes appear in the tofu entry in Bencao Gangmu. The cited page has no date, and claims of 600 or 1,300 years of local history lack reviewed dated primary texts, so the available material cannot establish when tofu skin or these local products originated.1,3,5
Where
Tofu skin is made in many parts of China, including Dongwushan in Fuyang, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, and Shiping in Yunnan. The available material does not establish a single shared place of origin.3,4,5
How
Soybeans are soaked, ground and cooked; the film that forms on the soy milk in a heated pan is lifted with bamboo poles and dried. Dongwushan makers use a “three breaths” technique to make sheets about 0.1 millimeter thick, with the blowing technique passed down within families.1,3,4,5
Why
Tofu skin is chewy and holds its shape during long cooking, making it useful for wrapping fillings and for braises, hot pot and vegetarian dishes.2
Impact and influence
A July 11, 2014, report recorded 9 producers in Dongwushan making about 1,000 metric tons of tofu skin annually and supplying long-established Hangzhou restaurants. A May 11, 2026, report recorded the listing of Dongwushan tofu skin making as Zhejiang provincial intangible cultural heritage in 2009; this listing information comes from a report, and the available material lacks the official list page.3,4
A tale told in Dongwushan, Fuyang, says that mountain villagers first made tofu skin for monks and nuns, and that the court later sent envoys to Hangzhou to buy it for a vegetarian banquet. It also says tofu skin became tribute in the Southern Song and Ming dynasties. A 2014 Hangzhou Net report retells the story; its details do not establish tribute status or an origin date.
Told in: Dongwushan, Fuyang, Hangzhou, Zhejiang; retold in a Hangzhou Net report dated July 11, 2014.
