Have you eaten stinky tofu?

[signal]

My friends, have you enjoyed stinky tofu, the delightful savory snack? You should if you get the chance, it's quite good. Obvoiusly the smell is quite strong. I think it's more "strong" than bad, but it's surprising how an entire city block in Taiwan will smell like this if someone serving it is there. I wonder how residents or other businesses deal with it 🤔

 

[Fat4all]

what does it smell like

 

[signal]

what does it smell like

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Wikipedia sez "From a distance, the odor of stinky tofu is said to resemble that of rotten garbage or smelly feet" I think "rotten garbage" is wildly inaccurate. I guess somewhere between 'typical fermented item' and 'overly putrid'

 

[Small Red Boy]

Wikipedia sez "From a distance, the odor of stinky tofu is said to resemble that of rotten garbage or smelly feet" I think "rotten garbage" is wildly inaccurate. I guess somewhere between 'typical fermented item' and 'overly putrid'

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You have my attention now.

 

[Fat4all]

Wikipedia sez "From a distance, the odor of stinky tofu is said to resemble that of rotten garbage or smelly feet" I think "rotten garbage" is wildly inaccurate. I guess somewhere between 'typical fermented item' and 'overly putrid'

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I've had overly fermented foods before, id be down to give this a try

 

[Richiek]

what does it smell like

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I had it once, smells like literal shit.

 

[signal]

I had it once, smells like literal shit.

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But did you enjoy the taste?? It is quite strong. Without knowing it exists, if you're walking around Taipei you might think there's like sewage leaking randomly.

 

[Richiek]

But did you enjoy the taste?? It is quite strong. Without knowing it exists, if you're walking around Taipei you might think there's like sewage leaking randomly.

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Not really, it had a bitter aftertaste. I think the sauces are needed to drown out the flavor of the tofu.

 

[Cheesecakebobby]

I quite liked it but it destroyed my guts.

 

[mieumieu]

One of my favorites. I can't stand durians though.

 

[jiggle]

Yes
Both HK and Taiwan kind
They actually tasted really good with all the sauces and condiments
There were some gross stories/news about them or something
So I rarely get them when I visit now

 

[EssBeeVee]

read it as stinky toe. i haven't OP

 

[entremet]

Probably. Isn't it common in Dim Sum?

 

[345]

yeah i've eaten it at markets in taiwan, it's pretty good but it does indeed smell amazingly bad. tastes better and smells worse than natto.

 

[Humidex]

I have while traveling in HK - tasted absolutely fine to me. I've had worse cheeses than this.

 

[SilentPanda]

I've eaten it at street market and restaurant, don't dislike it, but won't go out of my way to get it either.

 

[cvxfreak]

I've been to Taiwan 4 times and the dish is indeed as stinky as one would imagine, in the same class as bleu cheese, natto and durian.

That said, I find stinky tofu to be the worst of the bunch because it's a smoking hot dish, which means the smell gets everywhere and the humidity makes it all the more pervasive. I would agree that it does smell like sweaty feet fresh out of a pair of moisture-trapping shoes, after accidentally stepping on dog poo for good measure.

It actually tastes fine to eat (but I usually have to pinch my nose)!

 

[Herne]

I don't think I've ever eaten regular tofu.

 

[Yossarian]

Is this a euphemism?

 

[DevilMayGuy]

I'm actually ok eating stuff that doesn't smell like stinky shit covered feet thanks

 

[signal]

I'm actually ok eating stuff that doesn't smell like stinky shit covered feet thanks

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No problem 🤝

I don't think I've ever eaten regular tofu.

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Rectify asap.

 

[bxsonic]

Had one in HK years ago. Honestly not worth enduring the smell for what is essentially a mediocre piece of fried tofu. Lol.

 

[werezompire]

Stinky tofu is one of my favorites. There was a stand at the Fengjia night market in Taichung that I really liked. My wife always insisted I eat it at the night market and not bring it home since she couldn't stand the smell.

 

[Right]

There are many styles of stinky tofus, ranging from delicious items that just have a stronger flavour (Changsha style) to something smelling and tasting like trash (Anhui style). And there's at least dozens different styles that sit somewhere in between those (Nanjing, Beijing, Taiwan, etc.)

 

[sven]

Definitely not. ICK!

 

[Doggg]

I used to live in this dorm with these Taiwanese dudes but only smelled it. I couldn't muster the courage to say, "Hey, let me try that smelly stuff."

 

[Spaceroast]

This is one of those things like durian where people will tell you "yeah it smells bad, but it tastes great! try it!"

It tastes exactly how it smells. Things smell the way they do for a reason. I tried it in Hangzhou, so dunno what "style" it would fall under, but it was the most vile thing I'd ever put in my mouth. It smells like a used diaper and tastes like one too. Anytime I smell it outside on the street now it triggers the ol' gag reflex. If you like it, more power to ya; I know this is how a lot of people feel about strong cheese, which I love. But for me, this ain't it.

 

[Camwi]

I don't even like regular tofu.

 

[meadowdrone]

Smelled it all the time around Taipei, and I'm sure it tastes as good as people say, but I absolutely could not get past the smell. It smells really bad up to a far distance too so it feels like you have to brave yourself to even get close to the food vendor to buy it. Tofu's great usually, next time I'm there I'll try to be more adventurous and give it a go.

 

[pezzie]

The fried kind is bearable. I could not get over the overpowering smell of the braised kind.

 

[Neo C.]

Had it in Taiwan. I don't think it's as delicious as other people have said before.

 

[Boat Times]

I was ordering from a Chinese restaurant nearby last week and saw on the menu "Non-Stinky Tofu" and was completely taken aback, like why would you need to classify that? Today I learned of Stinky Tofu. It all makes sense now.

 

[signal]

The fried kind is bearable. I could not get over the overpowering smell of the braised kind.

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I've only ever had it fried. I wonder if the street smells are coming from different forms 🤔