The writer, Matsuya Hisamasa, states simply that tofu skin is the film that forms atop soymilk.

[6] Other written references to tofu skin appeared around that time in China in the Bencao Gangmu [The great pharmacopoeia] by Li Shizhen.

Chapter 25 states: If a film should form on the surface of soymilk when it is heated in the process of making tofu, it should be lifted off and dried to give doufu pi (literally "bean curd skin") which is itself a delicious food ingredientA third known reference to tofu skin appears in 1695 in Japan in the Ben Zhao Shi Jian (Wade–Giles: Pen Chao Shih Chien [A Mirror of Food in This Dynasty, 12 volumes].

When Japanese read the Chinese characters for tofu skin, doufu-lao, they pronounce them tōfu no uba.

Because of its slightly rubbery texture, tofu skin is also manufactured in bunched, folded and wrapped forms, which are used as meat substitutes in vegetarian cuisine.

Likewise various other meat alternatives have been made in this way, especially by Buddhist vegetarian restaurants in areas of Chinese culture.

[7] The earliest process for making these meatless meats consisted of rolling thin sheets of doufupi, literally tofu skin, around a filling of minced, smoked, or other seasoned pieces of tofu skin, tying closed the bundle with string, and steaming until a meaty texture and flavor developed.