Legume
Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake bound by Rhizopus mould into a firm, sliceable slab with nutty, mushroomy flavour. Traditionally Indonesian, it grills, fries, and crumbles well and keeps more of the whole bean than tofu. Variants use other legumes or grains, but classic tempeh is soy-based. Fresh refrigerated blocks are standard outside Indonesia's warm fresh markets.
Also known as: Tempe, Tempeh
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Breeds, cuts & preparations
Preparation
ChilledCrumbledCubedFreshFriedFrozenGrilledMarinatedSlicedSteamed
Characteristic
CulturedFermented
CommonCharacteristic
EarthyFirmMeatyMushroomyNuttySavouryToastyUmami
History
ID
Javanese cooks developed tempeh as a fermented whole-soy protein staple.
ID
Tempeh became everyday Indonesian street and home protein across the archipelago.
US
Western vegetarian communities adopted tempeh as a meaty plant protein.
Commercial refrigerated tempeh expanded into global supermarket meat-alternative aisles.