Tempeh : Google doodle celebrates traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans

Reza Dwi Setyawan, a special guest illustrator located in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, created the illustration for today’s Doodle, which honours tempeh. It is a 400-year-old fermented cuisine that originated in Indonesia and is primarily made of soybeans, though the same fermentation technique can also be used to make it from a variety of different beans, grains, and legumes.

The Doodle displays Tempeh Mendoan, a popular fried Tempeh variety in Indonesia that was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage on this day in 2021. Tempeh Mendoan is a mainstay of Indonesian cuisine.

A twelve volume compilation of Javanese tales and lessons written in poetry and published in 1814, Serat Centhini, first mentions tempeh in the 1600s in Tembayat Village, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia.

Typically, tempeh is eaten in place of meat by people all around the world, along with rice and vegetables. It provides a number of health benefits, including better gut and brain health. This dish, which is prepared from minimally processed soybeans and is high in nutrients including protein, fibre, prebiotics, and vitamin B12, is a favourite of the majority of Indonesians and is becoming more and more popular among health enthusiasts worldwide. The tempeh can be covered with a variety of leaves as it digests. The oldest known leaves include those from waru, teak, and guava, whereas the most common leaf in Indonesia is the banana leaf.

Tempeh can be eaten in a variety of ways, but due to its excellent flavour, “tempe goreng,” or fried tempeh, has become the most well-known tempeh meal. Various forms of sambal (a ground, seasoned chilli pepper dipping sauce) and kecap manis are frequently served with fried tempeh (sweet soy sauce made of fermented soybean).

Want to give tempeh a try? Give it a taste if you want.