A Piece of Culinary History: Your Almond Tofu is Not Made with Almond

One of the traditional Taiwanese dessert we have been serving is Almond tofu (杏仁豆腐). Its popularity reaches all across from Southeast Asia all the way out to Hawaii. It is also common to find "almond jelly" drink at boba shops around the Bay Area.

But did you know that it is not made with almond, but with apricot kernel?

Almond is one of the earliest domesticated fruit trees, with archeological records dating back to 2000BC in Jordan. When it finally made its way to China via silk road, Chinese people didn't come up with a new character for it. Instead, they tried to describe it using characters and concepts that already existed. There were some writings that refer almond as 扁桃仁 (flat peach kernel), but most referred to it as 杏仁, sharing the same name as apricot kernel.

Historically, Chinese consumed very little almonds, so the ambiguous name was not an issue. In the 1970s, when US began importing almonds to the East, the naming confusion began. Nowadays, you can find "almond tofu mix" in stores that lists apricot kernel as an ingredient.

If you still find this almond naming mishap hard to believe, here's the kicker. Do you know that Amaretto, the popular almond flavored liqueur, is also traditionally made from apricot kernel?

Our house-made almond tofu pudding is made from scratch with raw apricot kernels. We begin with heating, blending, extracting the liquid, then forming its final shape with agar agar, making it a vegan-friendly dessert. It is topped with seasonal jam and jelly, bring a bit of tartness to balance with the subtle sweetness and the delicate flavor of the pudding itself.