A dish featuring stir-fried tofu skin. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

Residents of Pujiang county, Jinhua in Zhejiang province, are known for making dishes using tofu skin. The traditional technique for making tofu skins in Pujiang was even included on the provincial-level intangible cultural heritage list in 2012.

Pujiang tofu skins are well-known for their mellow taste, extreme thinness, and resistance to high temperatures. Cooked tofu skins are rich in protein, digestible and delicious.

To turn 45 kilograms of soybean into a mere 18 kg of tofu skin involves a dozen steps over 27 hours.

A woman makes tofu skin in the traditional manner. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

Locals are sentimentally attached to tofu skin, as the food creates nostalgia for old ways. Decades ago, a bowl of tofu skin egg soup was one of the best dishes for people of modest means to entertain guests. Back then, tofu skins were also a nutritious supplement for pregnant women and a delicacy to reward children for superior academic performance.