How We Make and Eat Tempeh Down on The Farm

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The Farm (see The Plowboy Papers with Stephen Gaskin in MOTHER NO. 45) is 1,000 happy souls living as a church on 1,700 acres in Tennessee. The Farm is also a completely vegetarian outfit and everyone on The Farm gets a great deal of his or her protein from soybeans served up in one form or another. And one of the most satisfying ways that soybeans are served on The Farm (and in millions of other communities and homes throughout the world, especially Southeast Asia) is in the form of delicious, nourishing tempeh. And here's . . .

Tempeh is a delicious, fermented, highprotein main dish with a unique flavor all its own. It has been a staple food for the people of Southeast Asia for centuries, and it was a hit here on The Farm the very first time we tried it. We've been making and eating tempeh for four years now and we still think it's the greatest food since yogurt.

Fermentation is one of the oldest forms of food processing known to man. A great many of the most primitive peoples at one time or another have independently discovered that some edibles don't immediately begin to spoil as they grow older. . . but, instead, actually get better. We now know that these foods-such as yogurt and tempeh-contain live organisms that are very healthful.

Scientists, for instance, have learned that the fermenting micro-organism of tempeh--a white mold, Rhizopus oligo sporusproduces compounds that act as antibiotics against some diseasecausing organisms. In laboratory tests the tempeh mold was found to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (a food poisoning bacterium) and Klebsi ella pneumoniae (one of the bacterium which causes pneumonia), among others. It may even be possible to increase the body's resistance to infection by eating tempeh. If so, that fact would help explain the importance of fermented foods, such as tempeh, in countries with otherwise poor diet and sanitation.

There are other good-and more easily proven-reasons for eating tempeh. This fermented form of the soybean contains more riboflavin, niacin, B6, and pantothenic acid (all vitamins) than unfermented soybeans. The protein in tempeh also becomes partially broken down by enzymes formed during the fermentation process. This makes tempeh a very easily digested food that is especially good for pregnant ladies, old folks, children, and people recovering from illnesses. Tempeh, furthermore (just like the soybeans from which it's made), contains no cholesterol

which, according to prevailing medical opinion, qualifies it as an ideal food for people with heart problems.

And finally: We like this healthful taste treat because it can be served in so many delightful ways that we never get tired of it. The basic soybean tempeh can be fried, deep-fried, mixed into sauces and salads, spread over pizzas, added to soups, vegetarian lasagna, noodle dishes, and stews, and eaten in many other ways. And, if you get tired of all that, you can start experimenting with some of the countless grain and bean combinations that also make great-but entirely distinctive- tempehs. Cracked wheat, barley, rye, oats, and ricefor instance-can all be used alone or half and half with soybeans to create luscious new tempeh flavors and textures.