Degradation of components in fermented soybean tempeh makes a distinctive flavor and aroma. In contrast with tofu, tempeh was a little sour. Tempe is widely consumed in Indonesia, but now has worldwide. Vegetarians around the world many are already using tempeh as a meat substitute. As a result now tempe produced in many places in the world, not only indonesia. Various studies in several countries, like Germany, Japan, and the United States.
Indonesia is also now trying to develop a strain (strain) to produce tempeh Rhizopus excel faster, quality, or improve the nutritional value of tempe. Some have worried about these activities can threaten the existence of tempe as food public property because yeast strains tempeh can excel so that the user registered its patent rights reserved (requires a license from the patent holder). tempe whitish due to mold hyphae that attach the seeds of soybean. Unlike other traditional soy foods are usually from China or Japan, tempeh from Indonesia. [6] is not clear when making tempeh begins.
However, this traditional food has been known since centuries ago, especially in order to eat the Javanese culture, particularly in Yogyakarta and Surakarta. In chapter 3 and chapter 12 manuscripts Fiber Centhinidengan settings century Javanese-16 (Fibre Centhini itself is written in the early 19th century) has found the word "Tempe", for example by mentioning the name of the dish jae Santen tempeh (a type of cuisine tempeh with coconut milk) and kadhele srundengan tempeh.
This and other available historical records indicate that it may at first be produced from black soybean tempeh, derived from traditional rural communities may be developed in Java, Mataram area, Central Java, and developed before the 16th century. The word "tempeh" probably derived from Old Javanese. In the days of ancient Javanese there are white foods made from corn starch called tumpi. Tempe fresh white also appear to have similarities with those tumpi food.