JAKARTA - The Ministry of Culture (Kemenbud) started to gas at the end of 2025 by encouraging international recognition of one of the culinary identities of Nusantara, namely tempe.
Through the Tempe Culture Seminar entitled "Tempe: From Local Wisdom to Global Dishes" which was held at the Kemendikbudristek Complex, Jakarta on Friday, December 19, the government confirmed its commitment to bringing this dish to the world stage.
Deputy Minister of Culture (Wamenbud) Giring Ganesha in his speech at the Tempe Culture Seminar, emphasized the struggle to make tempe a World Intangible Cultural Heritage (WBTb) at UNESCO is not just a matter of status.
For him, tempe is a very strong tool of cultural diplomacy. He likened how Japan succeeded with sushi and South Korea with tteokbokki that has gone global.
"Cultural diplomacy is the most strategic, one of which is diplomacy at the dinner table. Because what we see, we eat, it goes into our stomach, it is also part of cultural diplomacy," he said.
"So, the struggle for tempe to become a World Intangible Cultural Heritage is a struggle that I think will have such a big impact," he added.
The Ministry of Education believes that if tempe is successfully inscribed by UNESCO, the impact will be very large for the ecosystem of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and many communities in Indonesia - as was the case with batik after it was designated as a world WBTb at UNESCO.
"And now whenever there are tourists here, they want batik, the figures of the country come here, they must give batik. What is the end? Once batik becomes a world intangible cultural heritage, finally the ecosystem, the community that benefits the most. There is a cultural economic value there," said the Deputy Minister of Education.
In addition, Giring also saw a big momentum, where the world is shifting towards a healthy lifestyle. Tempeh is considered a superfood that is relevant to this global trend.
"This is an extraordinary momentum to introduce healthy Indonesian culture and also to make Indonesian gastronomy rise to a higher level at the world level," said Giring.
At the end of his speech, Giring emphasized that the success of this proposal also depends very much on the cohesiveness of the community. He appreciated the Indonesian Tempe Forum to the Indonesian Tempe Tahu Producer Cooperative Association (Gakoptindo) which continues to synergize.
For information, the #BudayaTempe campaign series will continue on Sunday, December 21, with a fun-run and culinary exhibition activities in the Ministry of Culture's office yard to bring tempe closer to the younger generation and the wider public.
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