TheJakartaPost
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Jakarta loves tempeh, but struggles to keep rivers clean from its waste
Tofu and tempeh are produced at home industries along riverbanks in the city.
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Popular Indonesian food tempeh will be proposed as intangible cultural heritage to UNESCO in 2021. (Shutterstock/Arif Relano Oba)
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or meals or snacks, tofu and tempeh are always served on the tables of Indonesian homes. Its delicacy, soft texture, and relatively affordable price are the reasons it is one of the most popular foods.
To improve the tofu industry in the capital, typically run by home industries, the Jakarta Research Council has come up with the idea to establish a tofu education tourist area.
Council member Susy YR Sanie Herman said tofu was chosen due to it being so delicate.
“[Handling] tofu is complex. If we can work it out, this could be an example for other household industries,” she said during a seminar on Tuesday, citing the relatively short shelf life of tofu.
The culinary center is expected to be a pilot project run by Jakarta-based tofu producers for tofu home industries in the capital. It is also expected that visitors will be able to learn how to make tofu and gain knowledge about tofu, Susy said.
She explained that the council’s assessment had determined several challenges faced by tofu home industries, with the most highlighted issue being the fact that many are located by the riverbanks.
“Many tofu producers live by the riverbanks, and therefore may potentially be impacted by normalization or naturalization programs,” she said, citing the central government and city administration's flood mitigation programs.
