Tofu, also called
doufu (often in
Chinese recipes) or
bean curd (literal translation), is a
food of
Chinese origin, made by
coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. The making of tofu from soy milk is similar to the technique of making
cheese from
milk.
Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called "tofu" in Asian or vegetarian dishes.
source: wikipedia