The German people have always eaten beef, sausages and other types of meat as main courses in their meals. However, in recent years, the Germans have begun to show a great mass interest in vegetarian cuisine, with tofu and other soybean products as main items in the menu. Porridge made with wheat flour and chestnuts is also a popular vegetarian dish. These light and delicious vegetarian dishes have been termed "health food" and have become popular.

It was the students at several famous universities in Berlin who first highly praised this "health food," believing that animal fat was harmful to health. In order to comply with the requests of these students, university dining halls removed meat dishes from their menus, and in some cases, added fish at the most. The revised menus consisted mainly of dishes made from tofu and soybean products. Among them, the most popular dish was soy sauce braised tofu.

The common practice of college students observing a vegetarian diet has spread quickly in Germany and is being accepted by society. Nowadays, even hamburgers can be made without beef but instead with diced onions, vegetables and sometimes even tofu. Because vegetarian "health food" is just gaining widespread popularity in Germany, the supply of tofu factories in the country is falling short of demand.