The History of Tempeh

Most of us connected to the Dutch East Indonesia are familiar with tempeh used in Indonesian cooking. It's basically fermented soy. Now heralded as a highly nutritional food even better than soy, it's interesting to trace back its origins.

"Java is still the Mecca of the tempeh world, yet over the centuries, wherever Javanese settlers have gone, they have taken tempeh with them. Today it is widely produced and consumed in Surinam (where 30% of the population is Indonesian), and on the west and south coasts of Peninsular Malaysia. To a lesser extent it is consumed in Singapore, New Caledonia, and the other Indonesian Islands (especially Sumatra). Tempeh is also increasingly popular in the Netherlands, where it was introduced by immigrants from Indonesia in the 1940s."

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Gamelang Along!

Gamelang is a wonderful musical tradition from Indonesia made of a complex series of gongs. Once your Western ear becomes accustomed to the sounds, it has a soothing trans-like affect. Click on the site, scroll down to the ding dong selections and hear the various tones! Enjoy!

WORDS

This is a list of some words used in The Dutch East Indies, which you may have heard growing up. Mind you, I'm just an American so welcome any comments for refinement if the interpretation is a bit off.

aduh!: wow! oh boy! yikes!
babu: female domestic servant, like a nannie
betjak: bicycle taxi
blandas: whites (Caucasian)
KNIL: D. Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger - Royal Dutch Indies Army
kokki: female servant, the cook
oom: uncle
oma: grandmother
opa: grandfather
pemudas: Indonesian nationalist fighters usually young men
tante: aunt