It is reported that, unlike many local snacks in the Philippines, Taho appeared before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. It actually originated from a food in China. According to legend, the tofu used in Taho originated during the Han Dynasty. Once, Prince Liu An mixed soybeans and bamboo fungus while refining an elixir of immortality. Although he did not succeed in creating the elixir, he made tofu.
Another more credible version states that a family accidentally mixed a small amount of impure sea salt into boiling soy milk while preparing soy milk soup. The large amount of calcium in the coarse salt caused the mixture to coagulate, forming a gel-like tofu. Of course, some say that it was initially discovered by Mongolians, who later inspired the Chinese to incorporate it into their dishes.
Today's Taho is a food made from tofu, brown sugar syrup, and sago pearls, and is a snack found everywhere in the Philippines. In the production process, Filipinos first use fresh, silky tofu that rivals the texture of Italian panna cotta as the base, then add brown sugar (some vendors sell Taho flavored with vanilla) on top of the tofu, and finally cover it with a generous scoop of transparent and elastic sago pearls, completing a cup of Taho.
Whether delicious things can be passed down for a long time depends on whether the simplest form can withstand the test of time. Taho does very well in this regard. Although globalization and pop culture have had a huge impact on the tastes and dietary dynamics of Filipinos, whenever Filipinos hear the street vendor shout "tahooooo," they are still touched by a warm current in their hearts.
