Size and shape: A tempeh seller sits with his products, tempeh packaged in different ways. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

Chinese cannot live without their noodles, Germans get cranky without their wursts and Indonesians just love their tempeh.

Underrated and long labeled as "proletariat" food, tempeh, the native fermented soybean cake and Indonesia's signature "staple" food after rice, is still undeniably the national treat.

Deep-fry it, with or without batter, and dip it into fiery red sambal (chili condiment). Cook it slow, or simmer in coconut milk or soy sauce. However you choose to have your tempeh cooked, it is such a typical feature in an Indonesian meal that its popularity even matches that of rice.

"It doesn't have to be on the dining table everyday, but I do consume it daily from buying the fried tempeh a vendor sells on the street," said 35-year-old housewife Renita Asterbita.

No high-profile Indonesian has ever claimed to be a die-hard fan of the food that was mentioned in the 19th century Javanese text Serat Centhini. But, clearly, tempeh is on everyone's menu at least once a week - wherever they might be.

"I am proud to serve fried tempeh to my non-Indonesian guests," said 28-year-old scholar Ova Candra Dewi who currently resides in Hamburg, Germany.

She buys her tempeh from fellow Indonesians who make it in their houses, or sometimes from an Asian supermarket where she buys food that reminds her of home.

"It is more expensive than chicken here. But, once in a while, we need it," said the mother of one, adding that for her it has become the signature Indonesian food that she proudly introduces to her friends.

For Indonesians, wherever they are, tempeh is indeed as much a staple as rice.

There are no official figures on the amount of tempeh consumption in the country, but currently, Indonesia consumes an average of 2.3 million tons of soybeans each year, of which 50 percent is used for tempeh production with another 40 percent used to make tofu.

Although reported to have originated from Java, tempeh's popularity has become widespread and it is consumed in other provinces. According to Made Astawan, co-founder of the Indonesia Tempeh Forum (FTI), the first official written record of tempeh was made in Javanese texts in 1875.

By 1946, it had reached the Netherlands, and by 1984, there were already 18 tempeh factories in Europe, 53 in the United States and eight in Japan, Astawan said. According to the FTI, the average Indonesian consumes 6.45 kilograms of tempeh annually.

It is unclear whether it is popular because in the past, other sources of protein were not widely available, or because Indonesians actually realize that tempeh has enough protein for their daily diet, as research has proven.

According to nutritionist Mien Karmini Mahmud, tempeh is the kind of food product that is popular not only for Indonesians in general, but also for beginner vegetarians.

Mien's research reveals that tempeh is rich in vitamin B12 and, contrary to popular knowledge, does not cause gout because the purine contained in its main ingredient, soybeans, is reduced during the making of the bean cake.

Astawan said that tempeh is rich in antioxidants, and at the same time, has a lot of potential for preventing degenerative diseases.

The digestive enzyme in tempeh makes its protein content easier to digest than unprocessed soybeans as it has less raffinose and stachyose, which can make your stomach feel bloated. The process of making tempeh also increases the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lowers the amount of saturated ones.

Its vitamin B12 levels are high because the fermentation process increases these by 33 times. The fermentation is caused by healthy bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Citrobacter freundii.

Tempeh is also high in minerals such iron and zinc and thus is good for preventing or treating anemia, Astawan said.

Many efforts have been made to improve tempeh production methods, in a bid to raise the food's profile and make it fully appreciated.

Canned processed tempeh has been developed in the country since 1985, but was only last year registered at the patent office.

The processed food, which is high in protein and low in fat, can last for two years in its packaging. The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), which developed the processing methods, produces about 10,000 cans a day, which it exports to European countries.

Tempeh can also be processed into desserts, such as the ice cream developed by LIPI researcher Agustine Susilowati.

Cooked, mashed and blended with ice, the soybean cake produces ice cream rich in protein but low in fat. In addition, it is cheaper to make, as a liter of tempeh ice cream costs only Rp 6,000.

For lactose-intolerant Indonesian stomachs, tempeh ice cream is a delicious treat that also contains the antioxidant isoflavon aglikon, vitamin B12 and eight types of essential amino acid.

LIPI is probably the institution that is most active in developing various uses for tempeh. Recently, it also developed the process of making tempeh into flour, which can then be used for just about any kind of batter.

Despite these advances, few industries in Indonesia have picked up on the innovative uses for the old favorite.

"There are lots of people who are interested in producing tempeh ice cream. But, unfortunately, most of them refuse to pay the royalties for our patent," Agustine said.

Currently, most tempeh-processing industries are small and micro ones. They are literally home industries that only produce and sell raw tempeh, Indonesian Food and Beverage Producer Association (GAPPMI) head Thomas Dharmawan said.

Aside from any further development of food derivatives from tempeh, the industry is also facing increasing dependence on imported soybeans.

Domestic production of soybeans keeps declining, from some 700,000 tons in 2006 to slightly over 600,000 last year, leading to a dependence on imported soybeans, the price of which keeps rising.

Early last year, the price of imported soybeans reached US$600, double the price in 2007.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, Indonesia buys about 90 percent of its total 1.2 million tons of imported soybeans from the United States. The current three top soybean-producing countries are the US, Brazil and Argentina.

Registered in Indonesia are about 50,000 micro enterprises in the tempeh and tofu industry, employing around 150,000 workers, the FTI reveals. All of these are constantly complaining about the rising price of soybeans.

Aside from better incentives and subsidies for the domestic cultivation of soybeans, the FTI recommends a diversification of the beans used for the production of the highly popular food. Among the alternatives are corn, lamtoro beans (Leucaena leucocephala) and lentils.

"Tempeh is a kind of native Indonesian food that has a lot of potential, domestically or for the export market," Astawan said. "As long as we are not dependent on imported raw materials, that is."

Popular

Yearender: Civil movements take center stage in 2025

Spanish family of four missing after boat sinks off Labuan Bajo

Another year lost in the energy transition