Is tempeh really cheap and smelly?
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 12/03/2005 3:39 PM | Life According to Australian-trained tempeh expert Professor Tri Susanto of Malang’s Brawijaya University, Indonesia’s first president Sukarno once derided his country folk as “”a tempeh race of people — soft and smelly.”” “”Unfortunately, tempeh has long been associated with poverty and villagers, a cheap food for people who cannot afford meat,”” he said. That is certainly not the situation now, particularly in the West where soy products are seen as wonder foods. Tempe is made in Japan and there are reports of American stores selling tempeh burgers. There’s even a tempeh ice cream. However the food is little known elsewhere outside Indonesia. When Professor Susanto was studying fermented bean products at the University of New South Wales he made tempeh in the laboratory for his Indonesian colleagues hungry for their favorite food. The food may be healthy, but the conditions under which it’s made are far from the standards demand
