Could Wine Pair with Fried Stinky Tofu?【葡萄酒搭炸臭豆腐，到底行不行？】
Food:
Fried Stinky Tofu
Wine of my choice:
Tenuta Ciampi 1971 ReBlanc Fiano di Avellino DOCG Campania Italy 🇮🇹 2016
Many of you may not have heard of Stinky Tofu (臭豆腐, chòu dòufu) before, but it is a popular snack in Taiwan and China. Stinky Tofu is a type of fermented food that is notorious for its funky, stinky aromas. The distinct smell of the Stinky Tofu has won many loyal fans who think the stinker the better. It is also a dish that I miss a lot while moved to the States and you can barely make it at home.
There are many stories of how Stinky Tofu came about. Most believe, it was accidentally discovered by a tofu maker named Wang Zhihe in Beijing, China, around the 1670s. On a very hot summer day, he had lots of leftover tofu that he didn't want to throw away. So, he tried to preserve the tofu with salt and spices and store them in earthen jars. A few days later, the tofu had turned greenish and become extremely smelly. He gave the tofu a taste and found it surprisingly delicious, so he decided to sell it. Since then, the Stinky Tofu has become a popular snack in Taiwan and China.
Nowadays, Stinky Tofu is made and consumed in many different ways. The most popular preparation in Taiwan is to deep fry the tofu until they are golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside. Taiwanese pickled cabbage is usually served on the side with a savory sauce poured over the tofu.
Here comes the question. Could wine pair with this dish? Of course. First of all, aromatic, medium to full bodied white wines would be ideal. Secondly, white wines with aromas of petrol, flint, beeswax, and cheese rind somehow complement the smell of the tofu. Fiano, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Chenin Blanc are great choices. These aromatic whites not only contain enough weight to counterbalance the smell and the flavor of the Fried Stinky Tofu, but their refreshing acidity goes well with the sweet and sour Taiwanese pickled cabbage.
I am happy that our friend, Eric, was able to join me on this unique food & wine pairing adventure, and prepared the Fried Stinky Tofu for us. We created a video together and the video can be viewed on my YouTube channel: 酒意思Sip with Joyce.
I picked this 1971 ReBlanc to pair with the Fried Stinky Tofu that Eric made for us. This wine is made by Fiano, a white grape variety that is indigenous to Campania, Italy. It is also considered one of Italy’s finest white varieties. The best expression of Fiano is from Fiano di Avellino DOCG. The mountainous area is known for heavy clay and volcanic soil that gives Fiano unique flavors. Thanks to its racy acidity, Fiano gains complexity with age yet maintains its freshness.
Produced by Tenuta Ciampi in Fiano di Avellino, Campania, this Fiano is pale yellow with hint of green. It displays flint, hay and beeswax on the nose, and finishes with pear and honey on the palate. High but balanced acidity gives this Fiano life and energy. The aromas and flavors of the Fiano complement the Fired Stinky Tofu so well. It is like watching pair figure skating. What you are looking for a great performance of pair figure skating is the skaters perform their routine in unison and harmony. A great food and wine pairing can be presented in many different ways, and pair figure skating is one way to look at it.
Once again, I’d like to thank Eric to partner with me for this particular pairing and showed us how to cook the Fried Stinky Tofu. If you like Eric’s dish and would like to learn more about his cooking adventures, please check out his channel on YouTube, Generally Recognized as Safe.
葡萄酒搭炸臭豆腐，到底行不行？
臭豆腐，大概是我住在國外這麼多年仍然會在心裡心心念念的台灣小吃之一。雖說，在紐約也不是沒有餐廳在賣，吃著總覺得是少了什麼。
好在，紐約這個地方也是人才輩出，什麼樣角色都有。這次我請到了我的好朋友 Eric 一同搭檔合作，請他準備炸臭豆腐這道菜，由我來挑選葡萄酒。兩人聯手挑戰炸臭豆腐與葡萄酒的餐酒搭配。
Eric 是我認識的朋友中，最具匠人等級的非廚師級人物。他對食材的要求，烹煮手法及味道的追求可是不會輸給米其林星級主廚的。為了做出台灣地道口味的臭豆腐，他找了好幾個臭豆腐供應商 ; 千挑萬選後才找到一個符合他要求的。買回來的臭豆腐還得經過一段時間熟成，達到他預想中的熟度（臭度）之後，才拿來製作炸臭豆腐。這一來一往間，他已做過無數次的試驗，呈現在你我面前的就真的是他最驕傲的作品。
首先，Eric 將豆腐做第一次的酥炸，之後再進行第二次油炸，將多餘的油逼掉炸成外表酥脆而內部軟嫩。趁熱淋上他特調的醬汁，再配上他事先醃漬好的台式泡菜，一道香噴噴又地道的炸臭豆腐就完成了！
大家心中一定有疑問，臭豆腐這麼臭，味道這麼特殊，搭配葡萄酒，行得通嗎？誒，還真行得通，不試試你怎麼會知道？其實臭豆腐的臭味與一些芳香型的白葡萄酒特別搭，例如菲亞諾、格烏茲塔明那、麗斯伶、白梢楠等等。這些白葡萄酒裡含有的汽油、煙硝、蜂蠟、及奶酪皮等的風味與臭豆腐的臭味有一種說不出來的契合感。這些白葡萄酒不僅擁有飽滿的酒體，既能hold的臭豆腐獨特氣味及味道，酒中爽脆的酸度與濃郁的果香，搭配上酸酸甜甜的台式泡菜更是一絕。
餐點：
炸臭豆腐佐台式泡菜
餐酒：
Tenuta Ciampi 1971 ReBlanc Fiano di Avellino DOCG Campania Italy 🇮🇹 2016
今天特地挑了這瓶1971 ReBlanc，是採用義大利坎帕尼亞的原生白葡萄品種菲亞諾釀製而成的。菲亞諾是義大利最古老的白葡萄品種品種之一，在13世紀時就發現其蹤跡。最能展現菲亞諾這種葡萄風味的產區就是來自坎帕尼亞的菲亞諾迪阿維利諾DOCG產區了。這個山丘環繞的地區以火山泥灰土壤著稱並賦予菲亞諾獨特的礦物感風味。菲亞諾強勁的酸度，即使陳放數年後，仍然活力十足。也因為如此，菲亞諾相當具有陳年的潛力。
這瓶菲亞諾色澤淺黃淡雅還帶點青綠，打火石、蜂蠟、乾稻草的氣味撲鼻而來，後韻則挾著蜂蜜及西洋梨的香氣裊裊環繞。平衡而強勁的酸度賦予菲亞諾充沛的活力與生命力。品飲這款葡萄酒時，就好像來到阿維利諾的葡萄園裡，想像自己就是葡萄樹，即始在惡劣的火山泥灰土壤裡生長，仍然堅毅地成長茁壯並產出最甜美的果實。這瓶菲亞諾的礦物感與炸臭腐搭配起來是相輔相成，相互幫襯，就如同欣賞一場精彩絕倫的雙人花式溜冰一樣：兩人的默契、動作的一致性、拋接時間點的掌握等等，都是呈現完美演出的致勝關鍵，而一場出色的餐酒搭配也是如此。
下次吃炸臭豆腐時，別忘了挑選一瓶我推薦的葡萄酒，給自己一個機會，來見證一場精彩華麗的餐酒搭配演出。
後記：
這次非常榮幸能與 Eric 一起合作，做這個非常特別的餐酒搭配單元。我們一起製作了一個短視頻。想觀看短視頻的朋友們，請點酒意思Sip with Joyce 的 YouTube 頻道的連結來觀看喔！如果你對 Eric 做的料理有興趣，想要看更多他示範的料理 ，歡迎到他的頻道：Generally Recognized As Safe 鴿子蛋 瞧一瞧。
