Huizhou Laba Preserved Tofu 徽州腊八豆腐
Huizhou Laba Preserved Tofu is featured among the local specialties of Anhui.
Huizhou Laba Preserved Tofu (徽州腊八豆腐) is a pressed, oven-baked and sun-dried bean curd that Xinhua describes as a folk specialty of Yixian (黟县) county in Huangshan (黄山), Anhui.
How it is made
The tofu is made entirely by hand from soybeans, chilli, five-spice and other raw materials. Six stages turn it into the finished piece: boiling, straining, setting, pressing, baking and sun-drying.
A January 2024 photo report from Xidi town (西递镇) shows the soy-product maker Wang Xinbao (王新保) at each step. He pours the boiled bean mixture into gauze, wraps the curd in gauze to set its shape, fits the wrapped pieces into sleeves and presses them on wooden boards, then puts the pressed pieces into an oven. The result is warm in colour and soft in the mouth.
Where it comes from
Wang makes it in Shiyin village (石印村), Xidi town, as the Laba Festival (腊八节) approaches, the festival on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month whose name the tofu shares. The traditional Laba tofu craft is an intangible cultural heritage project, and Xidi town has built a local industry on it, with demonstrations of the craft and study tours for visitors.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Huizhou Ham Stewed with Soft-Shell Turtle 徽州火腿炖甲鱼 →
Both are Huizhou (徽州) foods that rest on a preserved ingredient: cured ham in that stew, a pressed, baked and sun-dried bean curd here.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-23. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.
Image credits & notes (1)
- Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片A similar preparation is pictured; the local version may differ. 同类菜品参考照片，当地做法可能不同。Photo: Archon6812 · CC BY-SA 3.0Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited. Thumbnails may show a cropped view.
