80% Increase in Next 5 Years!? Tofu Market Expanding around the World

1. Expanding Global Tofu Market

Sushi, ramen, curry rice, tonkatsu, etc. With the Japanese food boom continuing across the globe, the dishes at the center of the trend are gradually changing. Among Japanese dishes, tofu is likely to be the next food whose popularity explodes in the near future.

According to Mordor Intelligence, a market research company in India, the global tofu market size was 930 million USD in 2017 and is estimated to reach 1.66 billion USD (approx. 250 billion JPY), increasing by 80%, in 2024. Furthermore, as more people turn to vegan diets and accelerate attempts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by meat production, the tofu market is supposed to expand to 2.94 billion USD (approx. 450 billion JPY) in 2029.

Over the upcoming five years between 2024 and 2029, the tofu market is estimated to expand by another 80%.

Then, why is tofu drawing so much attention now?

2. History of Tofu and Japanese Cuisine

Tofu originated in China during the Tang dynasty and came to Japan with Buddhism around 600 to 800 CE. At first, tofu was reserved for upper classes, such as monks and aristocrats. During the Muromachi period, about 1400 to 1500, tofu became part of shojin cuisine (Buddhist cuisine) and became a common ingredient for the public in the Edo period. Tofu Hyakuchin (“A Hundred Delicacies of Tofu”), published in Tenmei 2 (1782), includes a hundred tofu recipes.

To make tofu, you soak soybeans in water first. Once they soak up water, they are ground, boiled, and squeezed to produce soy milk. While the milk is hot, nigari (bittern) is added to solidify the liquid. Place it in the mold, drain off water, and tofu is ready. It is a common food not only in Japan but also in China, South Korea, North Korea, and Taiwan, but Japanese tofu is characterized with its smooth texture and rich flavor of soybeans. Since it goes well with any dish, chefs have been cherishing tofu and creating various recipes.

In Japan, there are also different kinds of tofu, such as soft tofu, firm tofu, yose dofu (unpressed tofu), sesame tofu, and yuba (bean curd skin), which have been served in Japanese households for a long time.

3. Why Is Tofu Popular Now?

As you already know, tofu is highly regarded as a healthy food; it is low-calorie, high in protein, and contains calcium. In 300g of firm tofu, water accounts for 85%, while it provides 20g of protein and 360mg of calcium with only 200 kcal.

Since The Book of Tofu was published in the U.S. in 1975 and sold 100,000 copies, tofu became widely known in Europe and America as well.

Signature tofu dishes at Japanese restaurants include tofu steak or agedashi dofu (deep-fried tofu served in broth), but tofu is also used as a substitute for cheese or meat on vegetarian and vegan menus.

Billie Eilish, a charismatic singer for Gen Z, is known to love tofu noodles. You can see tofu’s popularity spreads across generations.

4. About OOEDO TOFU

Most of the tofu on the global market is manufactured by machine throughout the whole process, but do you know that you can get tofu handcrafted by a Japanese artisan in Malaysia? It is sold as OOEDO TOFU, providing a wide variety, like silk tofu, firm tofu, pudding bean curd, deep-fried tofu, tofu flitter, bean curd skin, and black sesame tofu.

This tofu is made of selected ingredients, such as non-GMO soybeans from Japan and nigari from Okinawa.

Water is also important to make OOEDO TOFU, as it composes more than 80% of the product. If you use hard water that contains minerals and calcium, tofu becomes too firm as calcium in water combines with soybeans’ protein. Water used for OOEDO TOFU is purified and softened so that you can enjoy a silky and smooth texture.

You can see that the characteristic of OOEDO TOFU is that it is manufactured in the environment as close as possible to Japan.

OOEDO TOFU is highly reviewed in the Japanese food industry. The tofu is used at famous Japanese restaurants and loved by local Japanese people in Malaysia. If you are restaurateurs or suppliers interested in delicious, Japan-quality tofu, please contact Washoku Agent!