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‘We were sent to hell’ – Hong Kong fermented tofu shop nearly 120 years old shuts suddenly
- Liu Ma Kee in Yau Ma Tei shut without warning on July 18 following a public health alert over bacteria levels in a batch of fermented tofu
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![Jay Liu Fong-yip (left) is the fourth generation of his family to work at Liu Ma Kee, a fermented tofu shop founded in 1905 in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei neighbourhood. Photo: Xiaomei Chen](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/18/28cb8892-2d19-44e0-9e6d-deff8d92b3a7_259537bb.jpg?itok=zaFalxA7&v=1721282251)
Liu Ma Kee, a fourth-generation business in Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei neighbourhood known for its fermented tofu products, has closed suddenly after almost 120 years.
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It comes just over two weeks after health authorities issued an alert about a bottle of its fermented tofu that led the firm to withdraw a batch from sale.
Known as fuyu, fermented tofu is a traditional Chinese condiment made by processing and fermenting the soy product with salt, rice wine and flavourings.
The finished product has a distinctive pungent aroma and yielding texture that has been likened to ripe soft cheese, and it is an essential ingredient in traditional Cantonese dishes such as stir-fried water spinach, and lamb stew with bean curd sheets.
![A bottle of Liu Ma Kee Limited preserved bean curd. Photo: Stanley Shin A bottle of Liu Ma Kee Limited preserved bean curd. Photo: Stanley Shin](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/18/7a27fe11-bfdd-4b7f-8b3d-5e9ab3d687fa_165546e8.jpg)
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