Fu (麸) is a processed food made mainly from gluten. Gluten is produced by kneading wheat flour with water. Since there is still some starch left after just kneading the flour, it is put in a cloth bag and rubbed in water, and the gluten left in the bag is used for fu.

History of fu:

It is said that the production method of fu was introduced by Zen monks who came from Ming Dynasty China in the early Muromachi Period (1336-1573). Fu, along with tofu, was an ingredient to supplement protein, which was often lacking in vegetarian cuisine at that time.

In those days, the number of domestic wheat crops was small and wheat was expensive, so fu was a food for special occasions at court and temples. For this reason, the culture of fu developed in Kyoto, where temples and shrines and the Imperial Palace are located.

In the Momoyama period (1573-1600), a confection called “Funoyaki” appeared in documents. It is written in the “Chakai-ki” that “Funoyaki” often appeared as a rare sweet at the “Tensho Tea Ceremony 100 Seats” held by Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Sen no Rikyu, and that Rikyu was fond of it. Even today, “funoyaki” is used as a tea confectionery, rolled up like a crepe or shaped like a rusk.

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