Amadeus Driando Ahnan of the Indonesian Tempe Movement (ITM) discussed the Indonesian delicacy at Harvard Business School on November 7. Ambassador Budi Bowoleksono said that the Indonesian Embassy in Washington has long been working in partnership with ITM, which is an international non-profit organization that promotes tempe as a sustainable healthy food.
“In September, we held a Vegan Festival that managed to attract 1,350 visitors to enjoy tempe,” Budi said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post.
Amadeus, food science postgraduate student at the University of Massachusetts, gave a talk about tempe to a community of Harvard academicians who have interest in global health at the Harvard Global Health Shared Interest Meeting. To the 20-odd academicians in attendance, Amadeus spoke in length around the theme: “Why Would Food for the Poor Tempe Matter for Global Health.”
Among the things explained by Amadeus in the 90-minute speech was how it has a high cultural value, as well as touching on how it is considered a food for less-fortunate people.
He also elaborated on the nutritious benefits of the soy-based food, explaining how its protein content is almost equal to that of beef, but only takes 10 percent of the energy needed to produce beef. “In the United States, 8 ounces of tempe is sold for US$1.99 whilst one slice of steak meat costs more than seven dollars,” said Amadeus.