tempeh

American  

[tem-pey] / ˈtɛm peɪ /

noun

Indonesian Cooking.

1. a fermented soybean cake.

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tempeh British  

/ ˈtɛmpeɪ /

noun

1. fermented soya beans

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Etymology

Origin of tempeh

First recorded in 1960–65, tempeh is from the Javanese word témpé

Example Sentences

Many cheeses, some pickles, kombucha, tempeh and sourdough bread are all fermented.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

But a surprising runner-up was tempeh, a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans, which retains much of the nutritional properties of soybeans without much processing or additives.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2024

Soybeans are also pulses, and tofu and tempeh are versatile sources of protein.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 22, 2024

To extract the protein from the spent grain, the researchers first sterilised it before using Rhizopus oligosporus, a food-grade fungus commonly used to ferment soybeans to produce tempeh, a soy-based food popular in Southeast Asia.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2024

“I can’t eat tempeh, I don’t understand how you like it,” she told him.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie