The Outlook Podcast Archive - The improbable rise of Europe’s 'Tofu King'

Download The improbable rise of Europe’s 'Tofu King'

When Bernard Drosihn was growing up in 1970s Germany he rebelled against the predominantly meat-heavy diet. These were the days when no one around him had even heard of vegetarianism. He later spent time in New York where he came across tofu - a bean curd block - and a product that wasn't available in Germany. So he and some other young hippies decided to produce their own, setting up a tofu collective. Bernard tells Jo Fidgen that the local authorities saw them as dangerous radicals, and the so-called ‘meat police’ raided their premises and even threw them in jail for a few nights. Undeterred, Bernard went on to become one of Europe’s biggest producers of tofu.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Kevin Ponniah

Picture: Bernd Drosihn in his tofu factory
Credit: Marcus Simaitis, laif, Camera Press

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Published on Wednesday, 11th August 2021.

Available Podcasts from The Outlook Podcast Archive

Subscribe to The Outlook Podcast Archive

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the The Outlook Podcast Archive webpage.