Tempeh, The Unique Health Food of Indonesia
Indonesia's Culinary Heritage
Part of Indonesia's culinary heritage, and now a valuable health food for the West, tempeh is unique amongst soyfoods. Unlike tofu, which is made from crushed boiled soybeans and not fermented, the soybeans that go into tempeh are boiled, dehulled then inoculated with a starter culture full of mushroom spores called Rhizopus. These germinate and grow dramatically over two days under the right conditions to bind together the soybeans and transforms them into a solid white ‘cake’ containing the densely growing mushroom culture that looks like a Brie cheese when mature, but grows hundreds of times faster.
In Indonesia, tempeh is eaten by all sectors of the population; in villages and cities alike, but because it is cheap and, in Java, easy to find, it is the natural substitute to meat, which few can afford, with largely the same protein content. However, it is a tricky food to make, but when it starts fermenting it even looks alive as it gives off heat and the mushroom mycelium grows very fast due to the active biological processes going on, transforming it into a white warm solid with a sweet mushroom like aroma. In a Javanese market, you will only find tempeh for sale up to midday. It is brought in for sale from sunrise, sold out by around 11am and eaten by the evening. This is because it grows so fast it changes in flavour and spoils within a day in tropical Indonesia. Kept in the fridge, fresh tempeh can last a few days, but who can resist keeping it for so long? Slices of fresh tempeh, dipped in a marinade of crushed garlic, salt and ground coriander, then fried up for breakfast!
When scientists first began undertaking research in food and nutrition in Indonesia, tempeh revealed itself as an essential component of the native diet. Moreover, the method of production was itself considered an ingenious process of applied microbiology and became the focus of attention from nutritionists and microbiologists.
The Magic of The Tempeh Fermentation
This unique fermentation performs causes some incredible changes to the nutritional value of soybeans not found in any other soybean food. Tempeh is unique in that the fungal strands grow into the surface of the soybeans, binding them together and produce enzymes that break down the indigestible hard proteins into highly digestible ones. The fermentation also gets rid of the indigestible starches found in beans that lead to bloating and flatulence, and it destroys a chemical called phytic acid that inhibits iron absorption, thereby increasing it’s absorption from the diet. The tempeh fermentation also leads to the production of metabolites such as organic acids, antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds which increase the vitamin content, enhancing the nutritional value of tempeh. Consumption of tempeh has been linked to various health advantages including antidiabetic effects, cholesterol-lowering properties, improved cognitive function, antitumor and anticancer properties, anti-aging effects and improved gut health as well as reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Nutritionally, tempeh represents a food rich in protein (the same quantity and nearly the same quality as beef because of its high digestibility) but unlike meat, contains no cholesterol or saturated fats that current evidence links to heart disease. It also contains a certain vitamin (B12) that is normally only found in animal products and milk. It is very easy to digest due to the fermentation and very suitable in small quantities for babies or those with malabsorption diseases. In fact, one of the latest nutritional findings has been the use of a tempeh-based formula weaning food in Indonesian primary health centres to successfully treat infants suffering from stomach disorders and dehydration. It is therefore ideal to be tried by people with digestion problems. Research has also found that those on high tempeh diets show increased resistance to infection and raise their antibody levels, suggesting interaction with the immune system. Basically, tempeh represents a cheap form of good quality protein and other nutrients, many essential to a healthy diet and high in protein.
Marigold Tempeh Slices – unique from Indonesia
Marigold Tempeh is unlike any other tempeh available, as it is real tempeh actually from Indonesia. It is a project working with indigenous soybean farmers who are supported to grow native varieties of GMO-free soybeans and pays them well above market price for their quality. Marigold Tempeh is unique in that it supports a programme to grow the best and tastiest local soybean varieties for their products. Marigold’s Tempeh also is made in the tropical Indonesian ecosystem with local starter culture containing a range of naturally occurring friendly bacteria and yeasts, especially Lactobacillus, that produce probiotics and vitamins like B12. This is what makes Marigold Tempeh unique. It is genuinely from Indonesia, supports their soybean farmers and tempeh makers, and the flavours are trapped fresh in a can ready to open and enjoy just like fresh tempeh in a Javanese market without having to go there!
Dr. Jonathan Agranoff
Dr. Jonathan Agranoff researched tempeh at Kings College, London, is a medical doctor and nutritionist with extensive research experience and a specialist on tempeh, having worked for the United Nations in Indonesia, NGOs and medical relief work. He is the author of ‘A concise handbook of Indonesian Tempeh’ and former development consultant on tempeh in infant nutrition in Indonesia.
