Some people speculate that the custom of tofu soup rice is a variation of the magic that the ancients used adzuki beans to ward off evil spirits. The Story of Jingchu Years Old records that "red bean porridge is used to eliminate the epidemic" from winter to morning, which shows that there has been a custom of serving beans or bean soup to eliminate the epidemic and disasters in southern China since ancient times. The ancients believed that the cause of death of the deceased was either disease or fierce disaster, and it was inevitable that there would be plague around the body. Therefore, the undertaker was invited to eat legumes to get rid of the plague or the ominous sign.
In addition, it is speculated that the formation of the custom of eating bean curd soup rice may be related to the custom of "keeping beans" in local Buddhist beliefs, which contains the idea of praying for the deceased to become attached to Buddhism and spend the afterlife together, and also enhances the friendship between mourners. ?
There are two versions of the origin of tofu rice:
1. According to legend, there was a man named Le Yi who was very filial to his parents during the Warring States Period. Le Yi uses soybeans to make tofu for his parents every day. My parents lived a long life, so after their parents died, Le Yi invited the neighbors who attended the funeral to have a tofu feast, hoping everyone would live a long and healthy life.
2. Once upon a time, an old man gave each of his three daughters-in-law a liter of soybeans, and the first daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law took them home to eat. The third daughter-in-law planted soybeans in the field and harvested new beans. Three years later, Third Grandma accumulated a lot of soybeans. Grandpa praised Third Grandma for her ability and put her in charge of housework.
The third daughter-in-law grinds soybeans into tofu and cooks many delicious dishes to honor her in-laws. Grandpa said happily, "After one hundred years, you will give me tofu." After grandpa died, the daughter-in-law cooked with tofu. After the news spread, the custom of eating tofu rice at the funeral gradually formed.
References:
Sohu. Why do people eat tofu rice after death?