Akiko Aoyagi

Last updated
Akiko Aoyagi
Born (1950-01-24) January 24, 1950 (age 74)
Tokyo, Japan
Other namesAkiko Aoyagi Shurtleff [1]
Occupation(s)Cookbook Author
Illustrator
Graphic Designer
Known forThe Book of Tofu, The Book of Miso, The Book of Tempeh [2]

Akiko Aoyagi (born January 24, 1950) is an American cookbook author and artist. She is best known as the recipe developer, illustrator, and co-author (with William Shurtleff) of the soy-based cookbook series The Book of Tofu (1975), The Book of Miso (1976), and The Book of Tempeh (1979), that had a strong impact on the natural foods and vegetarian movements within the American counterculture. [3]

Contents

Early life

Akiko Aoyagi was born in Tokyo, Japan. She attended the Quaker Friends School and then the Women’s College of the Arts, where she studied Fashion Design. [4] Her thesis project explored “designing clothing for children with physical and mental deficits.” [5]

After graduation, she worked as a fashion designer in Tokyo, [6] where she lightened her hair and wore "tie-dye maxi-skirts.” [5] She was frustrated, however, as she found herself in “a pressure-packed, highspeed job and I did not like it. It was a superficial, very exhausting life which I wanted to change. I wanted to go to Africa with the Peace Corps.” [6] She also thought of becoming a Catholic nun. [5]

In 1971, [4] [7] [6] her sister set Aoyagi up on a blind date with William Shurtleff (an American who was a student of Suzuki Roshi at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and was in Japan in order to help Roshi set up a center). Shurtleff was her sister’s classmate in a Japanese class at a university in Tokyo. [6] [5] They discovered that they shared interests in Zen meditation. [4] Ultimately, Shurtleff did not return to Tassajara, and Aoyagi “sold all her clothes, quit the fashion company, and moved in with him.” [5] They began to hitchhike together throughout Japan, and talked about traveling to India to visit ashrams. [5]

Soy

The Books of Tofu, Miso, and Tempeh

During that same time period in 1971, Shurtleff read the (then) recently released Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé, which argued that soybeans were a superior source of protein. [5] [8] Using Lappe’s book as a reference, Shurtleff wanted to learn more about Tofu. [8] Aoyagi later noted that although she had grown up with Tofu, (“just like you grow up with bread in this country”), [6] Shurtleff’s interest in it gave her a new appreciation for the art of Tofu production. [4] Aoyagi introduced Shurtleff to “Kyoto’s Haute cuisine Tofu restaurants” where a 12-course meal was about three dollars. It was during one of these meals that they decided to create “a tofu cookbook that that would show Westerners how to prepare tofu.” [4] [7] [6] Aoyogi began to experiment with cooking tofu, “dredging up memories of dishes that she had grown up eating or had read about.” [8] Over the next few years they conducted research, traveling, visiting tofu factories, ashrams, and “grandmothers who still remember the old ways,” learning the various elements of tofu production. [4] [6] [9]

In 1972, they signed a book contract with Nahum and Beverly Stiskin, who ran the small independent publishing company Autumn Press (which published books on macrobiotics and the Shinto religion). [8] Shurtleff apprenticed with “tofu master,” Toshio Arai, to learn traditional approaches to tofu production, and was sometimes joined by Aoyagi. [10] Aoyagi began to test methods of reproducing the process at home, taking “more than one hundred times to get a reliable, reproducible method that [Shurtleff] could describe in words and she could illustrate with in-brush sketches.” [10] She began by “re-creating the recipes she would see in tofu shops, finding uses for soybeans at all points during the process.” [9] She would then “document each recipe in a mix of English and Japanese.” [9] She also began to research western cookbooks such as The Joy of Cooking , “and picked out dishes she thought she could remake with tofu.” [9] In addition, she was creating illustrations for the recipes. [9]

The Book of Tofu, which contained all of Aoyagi’s crafted recipes and related illustrations, was published by Autumn Press in 1975. [4] [11] According to The New York Times, it was “received so enthusiastically,” that it was picked up by Ballantine Books for a mass market edition the following year. [7] Barry adds that the original 5000 copies sold out within the first month, and that 10,000 copies were printed in 1976. [4] In response, Aoyagi and Shurtleff next produced The Book of Miso (1976). [11] [4] [7]

Next, they came to the United States and traveled around the country in a Dodge Ram van to publicize both books. They gave interviews, met countercultural communities, and visited Zen centers. [12] Aoyagi later remembered the experience of sixty-four stops in four months as “grueling.” [13] They also visited the vegan-based intentional community, The Farm, as Shurtleff had previously been in communication with them about Tempeh production, and had a chance to study it while there. [13] The successful tour led to high book sales. [14] In addition, in 1979, they published The Book of Tempeh (1979). [4] [7]

Soy centers and organizations

In 1975, Aoyagi and Shurtleff co-founded the New Age Foods Study Center (in Tokyo and California), where they tested recipes and distributed information on soy. [7] The next year in 1976, Aoyagi and Shurtleff co-founded The SoyInfo Center, which they intended to be the “world's leading source of information on soy, especially soyfoods, new industrial uses, and history, in electronic database, online and printed book formats.” [15] Barry states that via the Center, Aoyagi and Shurtleff were able to act as “consultants to the growing international soyfoods industry.” [4] Finally, in 1978, Aoyagi and Shurtleff co-founded The Soycrafters Association of North America that held conferences attended by countercultural food companies. [7] [14]

Legacy

Food writer Jonathan Kauffman states in Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat (2018), that Tofurky developed due to the influence of Frances Moore Lappé, Aoyagi and Shurtleff, and The Farm. [16] He also credits the rise of Tofu shops, Tofu cookbooks, and vegetarian cookbooks that use Tofu in the West to Aoyagi and Shurtleff. [14] In discussing Kauffman’s book, San Francisco Chronicle journalist Steve Silberman refers to Aoyagi and Shurtleff as “pioneers” who “placed tofu at the center of millions of vegetarian tables in the West after falling in love with the snowy pressed soy curds as Zen students in Kyoto.” [17]

American author and professor Rynn Berry interviewed Aoyagi and Shurtleff for a chapter in the "Visionaries" section of his 1995 book Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes: Lives and Lore from Buddha to the Beatles. Additional "Visionaries" include Bronson Alcott, Sylvester Graham, John Harvey Kellogg, Henry Stephens Salt, and Frances Moore Lappe. [18] Barry begins the chapter on Aoyagi and Shurtleff by asserting that in 1975, “few Americans had even the vaguest idea of what it [Tofu] was. Now [in 1995] it is sold in countless supermarkets and health food stores, and its name as well as its substance is on everyone’s lips. Credit for this extraordinary surge in popularity must go to William Shurtleff and his Tokyo-born wife, Akiko Aoyagi. They are the co-authors of The Book of Tofu which has become the bible for tofu enthusiasts." [3] “The Rynn Berry Jr. Papers” in North Carolina State University Libraries’ Special Collections and Research Center, contains his research journal with “the transcript of an interview by Berry with soy food specialists William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi” and the original illustration of the couple used in Famous Vegetarians. [19]

Personal life

Aoyagi and Shurtleff were married, [3] but later divorced in the early 90’s. [20] They have a son. [20] [1]

Partial bibliography

Aoyagi and Shurtleff have 66 books in print. [21]

Additional

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tempeh</span> Soy product from Indonesia, used as protein source

Tempeh or tempe is a traditional Southeast Asian food made from fermented soybeans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. A fungus, Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae, is used in the fermentation process and is also known as tempeh starter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soy milk</span> Beverage made from soybeans

Soy milk, also known as soya milk or soymilk, is a plant-based drink produced by soaking and grinding soybeans, boiling the mixture, and filtering out remaining particulates. It is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. Its original form is an intermediate product of the manufacture of tofu. Originating in China, it became a common beverage in Europe and North America in the latter half of the 20th century, especially as production techniques were developed to give it a taste and consistency more closely resembling that of dairy milk. Soy milk may be used as a substitute for dairy milk by individuals who are vegan or lactose intolerant.

<i>Amazake</i> Japanese drink made from fermented rice

Amazake is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol or non-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. Amazake dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. It is part of the family of traditional Japanese foods made using the koji mold Aspergillus oryzae, which also includes miso, soy sauce, and sake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tofu skin</span> Chinese and Japanese food made from soybeans

Tofu skin, yuba, beancurd skin, beancurd sheet, or beancurd robes is a food item made from soybeans. During the boiling of soy milk, in an open shallow pan, a film or skin composed primarily of a soy protein-lipid complex forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin. Since tofu skin is not produced using a coagulant, it is not technically a proper tofu; however, it does have a similar texture and flavor to some tofu products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fermented bean curd</span> Chinese condiment

Fermented tofu is a Chinese condiment consisting of a form of processed, preserved tofu used in East Asian cuisine. The ingredients typically are soybeans, salt, rice wine and sesame oil or vinegar. In mainland China the product is often freshly distributed. In overseas Chinese communities living in Southeast Asia, commercially packaged versions are often sold in jars containing blocks 2- to 4-cm square by 1 to 2 cm thick soaked in brine with select flavorings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okara (food)</span> Byproduct of tofu production

Okara, soy pulp, or tofu dregs is a pulp consisting of insoluble parts of the soybean that remain after pureed soybeans are filtered in the production of soy milk and tofu. It is generally white or yellowish in color. It is part of the traditional cuisines of Japan, Korea, and China. Since the 20th century, it has been used in the vegetarian cuisines of Western nations.

Mollie Katzen is an American cookbook author and artist. The author of twelve cookbooks, she is best known for the hand-lettered, illustrated Moosewood Cookbook (1977) and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest (1982). She has written and illustrated three children's cookbooks, Pretend Soup (1994), Honest Pretzels (1999), and Salad People (2005). In 2007 the Moosewood Cookbook was inducted into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame. In 2017, her papers were collected by the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution. This includes all the hand-lettered originals, plus illustrations, from the Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, and is now part of their permanent collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tofu</span> Soy-based food used as a protein source

Tofu is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: silken, soft, firm, extra firm. Tofu is translated as bean curd in English. Tofu originated in China and has been consumed in the country for over 2,000 years. Tofu is a traditional component of many East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines; in modern Western cooking, it is often used as a meat substitute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mildred Lager</span>

Mildred Mathilda Lager was an American pioneer of natural foods and health food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semur (Indonesian stew)</span> Indonesian meat stew

Semur is an Indonesian meat stew braised in thick brown gravy. It is commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. The main ingredients in the gravy are sweet soy sauce, shallots, onions, garlic, ginger, candlenut, nutmeg, and cloves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rynn Berry</span> American historian of vegetarianism

Rynn Berry was an American author and scholar on vegetarianism and veganism, as well as a pioneer in the animal rights and vegan movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wotou</span> Northern Chinese steamed cornmeal bread

Wotou or wowotou, also called Chinese cornbread, is a type of steamed bread made from cornmeal in Northern China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet soy sauce</span> Sweetened aromatic soy sauce, originating from Java, Indonesia

Sweet soy sauce is a sweetened aromatic soy sauce, originating in Indonesia, which has a darker color, a viscous syrupy consistency, and a molasses-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar or jaggery. Kecap manis is widely used with satay. It is similar to, though finer in flavor than, Chinese Tianmian sauce (tianmianjiang). It is by far the most popular type of soy sauce employed in Indonesian cuisine and accounts for an estimated 90 percent of the nation's total soy sauce production.

<i>Ten Talents</i> (cookbook) Vegan cookbook, first published 1968

Ten Talents is a vegetarian and vegan cookbook originally published in 1968 by Rosalie Hurd and Frank J. Hurd. At the time, it was one of the few resources for vegetarian and vegan cooks. The cookbook promotes Christian vegetarianism and a Bible-based diet, in keeping with teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. By 1991, the 750-recipe cookbook was entering its 44th printing and had sold more than 250,000 copies. An expanded edition with more than 1,000 recipes was issued in 2012.

<i>The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook</i> Vegan cookbook published in 1975

The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook is a vegan cookbook by Louise Hagler, first published in 1975. It was influential in introducing Americans to tofu, included recipes for making and using tempeh and other soy foods, and became a staple in vegetarian kitchens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto Carque</span> American vegetarian and author (1867–1935)

Otto Heinrich Cargué was a French-American businessman, fruit grower, naturopath, raw foodist, vegetarian and writer. He was the first to use the term natural food.

William Roy Shurtleff also known as Bill Shurtleff is an American researcher and writer about soy foods. Shurtleff and his former wife Akiko Aoyagi have written and published consumer-oriented cookbooks, handbooks for small- and large-scale commercial production, histories, and bibliographies of various soy foods. These books introduced soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, and miso on a wide scale to non-Asian Westerners, and are largely responsible for the establishment of non-Asian soy food manufacturers in the West beginning in the late 1970s. In 1980, Lorna Sass wrote in The New York Times, "The two people most responsible for catapulting tofu from the wok into the frying pan are William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi." In 1995, Suzanne Hamlin wrote in The New York Times, "At the turn of the century there were two tofu suppliers in the United States. Today there are more than 200 tofu manufacturers...and tofu can be found in nearly every supermarket."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenna F. Cooper</span> American dietitian (1875–1961)

Lenna Frances Cooper was an American dietitian and co-founder of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has been called “a pioneer in vegetarian nutrition and dietetics.”

Jonathan Kauffman is an American food writer who has written for Bon Appétit, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Hazlitt, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco (magazine), Eater, Men's Health, Wine & Spirits, and Lucky Peach.

References

  1. 1 2 Aoyagi, Akiko (2023-01-27). "Akiko Aoyagi Shurtleff". Facebook. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  2. ↑ Berry, Rynn (1995). Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes: Lives and Lore from Buddha to the Beatles. Pythagorean Publishers. p. 175. ISBN   0962616915.
  3. 1 2 3 Berry, Rynn (1995). Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes: Lives and Lore from Buddha to the Beatles. Pythagorean Publishers. p. 171. ISBN   0962616915.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Berry, Rynn (1995). Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes: Lives and Lore from Buddha to the Beatles. Pythagorean Publishers. p. 174-175. ISBN   0962616915.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 145. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Plowboy Interview: Bill Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi". Mother Earth News. 1977-03-01. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sass, Lorna (September 24, 1980). "A Couple on a Tofu Mission in the West". The New York Times . p. C3.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 146. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 148. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  10. 1 2 Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 147. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  11. 1 2 Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 161. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  12. ↑ Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 162. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  13. 1 2 Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 163. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  14. 1 2 3 Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 164. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  15. ↑ "SoyInfo Center: About Us, About the Authors". soyinfocenter.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  16. ↑ Kauffman, Jonathan (2018). Hippie Food: How Back-To-The-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat. William Morrow. p. 166. ISBN   978-0062437303.
  17. ↑ Silberman, Steve (2018-01-18). "'Hippie Food,' by Jonathan Kauffman". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  18. ↑ Berry, Rynn (1995). Famous Vegetarians and Their Favorite Recipes: Lives and Lore from Buddha to the Beatles. Pythagorean Publishers. p. x-xii. ISBN   0962616915.
  19. ↑ Abraham, Laura (2018-03-09). "Discovering Treasures While Processing the Rynn Berry, Jr. Papers". North Carolina State University Libraries. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  20. 1 2 Sheridan, Margaret (1996-09-26). "Soy Talk With Father Tofu". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  21. ↑ "Introducing SoyInfo Center". soyinfocenter.com. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.