The many foods which are naturally produced from the soybean are a wonder-<br > land for anybody interested in cooking. Even more so because soyfoods meld<br > with our established Western cuisine， considerably expanding our options. It is no<br > secret that the large amounts of animal foods， fat and white sugar， which in one<br > way or another form the basis of modern Western cooking， are， among other fac-<br > tors， instrumental in our rising tide of degenerative disease. Soyfoods provide a<br > medium through which to reduce or even eliminate this heavy reliance on poten-<br > tially unhealthy ingredients. Soyfoods are generally high in easily assimilable pro-<br > tein， low in fat， with no cholesterol， and are extracted from an ecologically sound<br > vegetable source.<br > Such dishes as tempeh pizza， tofu mousseline and soymilk custard are simple<br > ways in which a conventional Western dish can be transformed. Soyfoods simply<br > open a whole avenue of creative endeavour in cooking and， using the traditional<br > Asian methods of preparing them， lend an exotic and enlivening edge to your daily<br > ea dng. You can be sure the dishes you prepare are nutritionally sound， with deli-<br > cious flavour and flair.<br > In the 1950s classrooms， where children were pondering the future， space<br > exploration loomed large and so did future foods. The image I had was of dried，<br > brown， biscuity chunks which weren t much to eat but were magically sustaining.<br > Yes， they were made from soybeans. The reality of soyfoods， as a gift from the<br > East， couldn t be more different.<br > From its origins in the mists of time， the soybean emerged as a food crop in<br > China over 4000 years ago. Its cultivation rapidly spread to Japan and South-East<br > Asia， and it has been a staple of diet in these areas ever since. It is the perfect diet-<br > ary complement to a people whose basic staple is rice and other cereal grains，<br > Even well-cooked whole soybeans contain an anti-nutritive substance called<br > the trypsin inhibitor. This effectively stops us from secreting the necessary fac-<br > tors tO digest the protein. It is fascinating that in those countries where soybeans<br > are traditional fare， the only time the locals eat them whole is before harvest， as<br > delicious green beans. Otherwise they are naturally processed in a variety of ways<br > to maximise their protein availability and to render them digestible. We call these<br > products soyfoods.<br > Because soybeans are of Asian origin soyfoods have varying names， depend-<br > ing on the country in which they are used. Each country also has its own varieties<br > arid method of making soy products， so we have items as varied as rich， dark miso<br > paste， and beans covered in a soft， white Camembert- like mould - tempeh，<br >