Matsu Temple A-Eng Tofu Pudding Introduction
Chen Yili (born in 1953) used to rely on fixed nets for his livelihood at the Lukang River. When aquaculture operators from Pingtung came to release shrimp in the area, everyone rushed to raise shrimp due to the good profits. However, a few years later, the shrimp contracted a disease, and the bacteria from the shrimp ponds flowed into the rivers, polluting the environment. To this day, species like grass shrimp, marbled shrimp, and white shrimp cannot be cultivated. Eventually, Chen Yili gave up on nets and switched to selling tofu pudding and cold drinks. The tofu pudding he sells comes in two varieties: traditional tofu pudding and three-color tofu pudding. The three-color tofu pudding consists of three colors: yellow (egg pudding), black (chocolate pudding), and white (milk pudding). In other words, three-color tofu pudding is a combination of egg pudding, chocolate pudding, and milk pudding, hence it is also known as three-color pudding tofu. This three-color tofu pudding has a variety of textures that are sweet, bitter, smooth, and tender, making it popular among both adults and children. After selling for a while, Chen Yili noticed that traditional tofu pudding was preferred by visitors from northern Taiwan, while locals favored the three-color tofu pudding and were less interested in traditional tofu pudding, leading him to abandon the production of traditional tofu pudding and focus solely on the three-color tofu pudding.
