Introduction of the Spot
Handmade tofu made with volcanic mud has a wonderful taste generated by nature.
Shortly after turning off Provincial Highway 9 to Luoshan Village, tourists can see the main settlement spreading across both sides of the road. Going eastward to Luoshan Waterfall at the Coastal Mountain, you start climbing upward for about 4 km. Following the sign, tourists then arrive at Luoshan Organic Tofu Farm. You can see two rural buildings with tables and chairs in between. The stoves and stone mills to the side are served as tools for visitors to experience “volcanic mud tofu.”
Lin Shu-Ping, whose grandfather moved from Western Taiwan to Luoshan during the Japanese Colonial Period, mentioned that at that time, supplies were insufficient. The Japanese in Luoshan made tofu with coagulant from volcanic mud. The people then imitated the method. Most of the dry farms in the mountain where water is not easily accessible grow grains. It is every household’s daily routine to make tofu. Later, with good public transportation and boosted economic conditions, homemade tofu became rare. It wasn't until the 1990s during community construction that the elderly people of the community became nostalgic for volcanic mud tofu and it became a leisure agricultural experience activities.
The Farm grows high-protein soybeans in organic farming.
The Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Group took the initiative to help Luoshan become the first organic village in Taiwan. Besides paddy fields everywhere, the Lin’s dry farm grows soybeans using organic methods. The soybeans cultivated in the past were smaller, but with the assistance of the Group of recent years, the Lins changed to grow Hualien No.1. These kind of soybeans are not only better for the environment but contain high levels of protein. They are most suitable for making soybean milk and tofu. The soybean milk made from these soybeans contains a rich fragrance of milk. With high levels of protein, the tofu is more coagulated.
For 2,000 years tofu was made coagulant. Ancestors in Luoshan use local volcanic mud water as the coagulant. In the past, when the plate rose from the bottom of the sea, part of the sea water was caught between the fault. The fault was squeezed by orogenic movement. The sea water more than 100 meters underground was brought upwards to the ground. This sea water carried mud from mud volcanoes, keeping the water temerpature at 22-26 degrees.
Volcanic mud water collected has to undergo precipitation for at least one week. After the water in the upper layer becomes crystalized, it can be boiled. As volcanic mud is penetrated with underground springs, the density is lighter than sea water coalgulant. Due to the weather conditions, the density is different every day; to make tofu, it needs to be dense.
Shortly after turning off Provincial Highway 9 to Luoshan Village, tourists can see the main settlement spreading across both sides of the road. Going eastward to Luoshan Waterfall at the Coastal Mountain, you start climbing upward for about 4 km. Following the sign, tourists then arrive at Luoshan Organic Tofu Farm. You can see two rural buildings with tables and chairs in between. The stoves and stone mills to the side are served as tools for visitors to experience “volcanic mud tofu.”
Lin Shu-Ping, whose grandfather moved from Western Taiwan to Luoshan during the Japanese Colonial Period, mentioned that at that time, supplies were insufficient. The Japanese in Luoshan made tofu with coagulant from volcanic mud. The people then imitated the method. Most of the dry farms in the mountain where water is not easily accessible grow grains. It is every household’s daily routine to make tofu. Later, with good public transportation and boosted economic conditions, homemade tofu became rare. It wasn't until the 1990s during community construction that the elderly people of the community became nostalgic for volcanic mud tofu and it became a leisure agricultural experience activities.
The Farm grows high-protein soybeans in organic farming.
The Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Group took the initiative to help Luoshan become the first organic village in Taiwan. Besides paddy fields everywhere, the Lin’s dry farm grows soybeans using organic methods. The soybeans cultivated in the past were smaller, but with the assistance of the Group of recent years, the Lins changed to grow Hualien No.1. These kind of soybeans are not only better for the environment but contain high levels of protein. They are most suitable for making soybean milk and tofu. The soybean milk made from these soybeans contains a rich fragrance of milk. With high levels of protein, the tofu is more coagulated.
For 2,000 years tofu was made coagulant. Ancestors in Luoshan use local volcanic mud water as the coagulant. In the past, when the plate rose from the bottom of the sea, part of the sea water was caught between the fault. The fault was squeezed by orogenic movement. The sea water more than 100 meters underground was brought upwards to the ground. This sea water carried mud from mud volcanoes, keeping the water temerpature at 22-26 degrees.
Volcanic mud water collected has to undergo precipitation for at least one week. After the water in the upper layer becomes crystalized, it can be boiled. As volcanic mud is penetrated with underground springs, the density is lighter than sea water coalgulant. Due to the weather conditions, the density is different every day; to make tofu, it needs to be dense.
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