Editing Tempeh (section)

==History==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Verkoop van tempeh-koeken Java TMnr 10013113.jpg|thumb|right|Tempeh being sold in Java, early 20th century]]
Tempeh originated in Indonesia, according to historical evidence, tempeh was first made in Bayat, Klaten, Central Java, and was commonly consumed around 1700.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pemerhati Ajukan Tempe Sebagai Warisan Budaya Dunia - National Geographic |url=https://nationalgeographic.grid.id/read/13300657/pemerhati-ajukan-tempe-sebagai-warisan-budaya-dunia |website=nationalgeographic.grid.id |publisher=National Geographic Indonesia |access-date=29 May '25 |language=id}}</ref>

The invention of tempeh seems to have arisen through the serendipitous introduction to stored soybeans of the fungus, which is crucial in tempeh's fermentation. This fungus grows on [[teak]]wood and [[sea hibiscus]] leaves, which native Javanese people often used (and still do) as food wrappings. In fact, in traditional tempeh making, an {{Transliteration|jv|usar}} (a mycelium-filled leaf) is used, instead of store-bought {{Transliteration|jv|ragi}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tamam|first=Mh Badrut|date=2017-06-13|title=Jenis dan Mekanisme Fermentasi Mikroorganisme|url=https://www.generasibiologi.com/2017/06/macam-mekanisme-contoh-fermentasi.html|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Generasi Biologi|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-01-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128161050/https://generasibiologi.com/2017/06/macam-mekanisme-contoh-fermentasi.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The type of soybean first used to make tempeh was the black soybean, which was a native plant.<ref name=":2" /> This later changed with the importation of white or yellow soybeans and the rise of the tofu industry on the island.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=2014-01-10|title=Sejarah Tahu, Tahu Sejarah|url=https://historia.id/kultur/articles/sejarah-tahu-tahu-sejarah-P97mD|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Historia - Majalah Sejarah Populer Pertama di Indonesia|language=id-ID}}</ref>

===Debate over origins===

Murdijati Gardjito, a [[Food history|food historian]] at [[Gadjah Mada University]], argued that tempeh was made by native Javanese people and that its preparation predates the introduction of Chinese-style tofu products.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Media|first=Kompas Cyber|title=Sejarah Tempe, Makanan Asli Indonesia yang Mendunia|url=https://www.kompas.com/food/read/2020/09/12/190300175/sejarah-tempe-makanan-asli-indonesia-yang-mendunia|access-date=2021-02-23|website=KOMPAS.com|date=12 September 2020|language=id}}</ref> Some ancient texts mention {{Transliteration|kaw|tempe dhele}}, old Javanese for 'native soybean tempeh'; {{Transliteration|kaw|dhele}} was used to refer to the native soybean variety. White soybeans that are used to make most {{Transliteration|kaw|tempe dhele}} today used to be called {{Transliteration|kaw|dhele putih}} ('white soybeans'), and were only available in Java centuries later. Mary Astuti, a food historian at Gadjah Mada University specializing in tempeh, argued that the native variety of soybean had been grown before the Chinese arrived in the region.<ref name="Historia" />

Sri Tandjung noted that Javanese had been eating cooked (native black) soybeans since the 12th century. By the 16th or the 19th century, depending on which period of time the writer of [[Serat Centhini]] referred to, Javanese people had mastered the art of cooking with tempeh, when it was not only eaten as is, but converted into different types of dishes, showing a full understanding and mastery of the food product.<ref name=":0" />

Gardjito noted that Javanese noble families rarely wrote about tempeh in ancient texts because it had never been a part of royal cuisine, but rather a staple food of the lower classes.<ref name=":0" />

Indonesian historian, [[Ong Hok Ham]], suggests that tempeh might have been produced as a byproduct of {{Lang|id|tahu}}, the Indonesian word for [[tofu]]. He argued that the two food products are made of the same ingredient and that genetically speaking, soybeans are from China, though the specific variety was never mentioned. [[Food journalist]], Andreas Maryoto. supported this idea, saying that tempeh might have been accidentally produced as the by-product of the tofu industry in Java in the 17th century, as discarded soybeans caught the spores of a [[Rhizopus oligosporus|whitish fungus]] that was found to be edible.<ref name="Historia"/>

However, {{Lang|id|tahu}} was (and is still) made of white soybeans (''[[Glycine max]]'', native to Japan and China), as opposed to the earliest version of {{Transliteration|kaw|tempe dhele}} that was made of native black soybeans (''[[Glycine soja]]'').<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Sejarah Kedelai, Manfaat Kedelai, Dan Serat Dalam Kedelai {{!}} Distributor bahan pakan ternak hijauan, bungkil kedelai, meat bone meal, DDGS, kedelai import|date=14 November 2011 |url=https://www.agroyasa.com/kedelai-sejarah-kedelai-manfaat-kedelai-dan-serat-dalam-kedelai/|access-date=2021-02-23|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Historia" />

{{Lang|id|Tahu}} (tofu) made its way to [[Kediri Kingdom|Kediri]] in the 13th century and was consumed by the [[Mongol Empire|Mongolians]] who arrived in Java. Later, it was popular only among the rich (the complex production process and imported white soybeans led to its high price). Around the 17th or 19th century, {{Lang|id|tahu}} became available to everyone.<ref name=":3" />

Tempeh later began to be made with white soybeans, leading to the decreased use of its native black variety. Black soybeans have been replaced by other commodity plants since. The original version of {{Transliteration|jv|tempe dhele}} has been forgotten as {{Lang|id|tahu}} has become the common people's food, and dependence on imported white soybeans grows.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Agricultural Commodities: Indonesia Highly Dependent on Soybean Imports {{!}} Indonesia Investments|url=https://www.indonesia-investments.com/news/todays-headlines/agricultural-commodities-indonesia-highly-dependent-on-soybean-imports/item6274|access-date=2021-02-23|website=www.indonesia-investments.com}}</ref>