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empeh makers gathered in Jakarta on Wednesday calling for the government to designate June 6 as National Tempeh Day.

The tempeh makers, from the Indonesian Tempeh Forum (FTI), also requested that the government promote the country'€™s original soya bean product to the world.

FTI Chairman Made Astawan said June 6 was selected because it is the date of birth of the country'€™s first president Sukarno, who often peppered his lengthy patriotic speeches with references to Indonesia as bangsa tempeh (nation of tempeh) for it being able to put up with centuries of colonialism. It is also the anniversary of the inauguration of Rumah Tempe Indonesia, the modern learning center for the food product, established last year.

'€œWe want to tell people that they can be proud of tempeh. We also want people to assign a positive meaning to the word tempeh, because president Sukarno used the word to refer to the country'€™s inferior mental state,'€ he said.

The Trade Ministry domestic trade director general, Sri Agustina, said the government had warmed to the proposal, considering the role of tempeh as one of the healthiest food products around.

'€œWe are supporting the proposal, the forum could bring the proposal the president who could make it a national day although not a national holiday,'€ she added.

The FTI said a national tempeh day could be used to inform the world where tempeh originates.

Indonesians have produced tempeh since the 18th century, as written in the Javanese tales and teachings Serat Centini, long before other countries such as Japan, Germany and the US made the product.

'€œTempeh is everybody'€™s favorite food in Indonesia, it is found on everyone'€™s dining table. The annual national tempeh consumption is 7 kilograms per person,'€ Made said.

Besides asking the government to designate a national tempeh day, the group also want tempeh to be globally recognized, in the same way batik is acknowledged as a World Intangible Heritage for Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Previously, Indonesia successfully asked the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to include tempeh as an item of food to be granted a Codex, a FTO and WHO food standard. The Codex will be given after a lengthy procedure and Indonesia is on the fifth of eight steps before being officially granted the status in 2015. (koi)