FAQs

The future of food. Tempeh is a fantastic fermented plant based protein that originates from Indonesia. Tempeh is traditionally made with Soy beans and ‘Ragi’ (Indonesian for starter culture). Tempeh can also be made with any bean, seed, nut, grain or legume. The magic of the mycelium Rhizopus Oligisporous (the Tempeh starter) is the unsung ingredient and when cultured in the correct conditions for up to 35 hours it transforms the beans into a naturally meaty white bean block – that’s full of protein, fibre and gut friendly goodness. Tempeh’s is a great vehicle of flavour and it’s firm texture allows Tempeh to be a very versatile healthy meat replacement for all of our old favourite dishes.

It is said to have originated in Java hundreds of years ago and in Indonesia it is a staple food but it is now being enjoyed with increasing frequency around the world too.

When tempeh is made from soya beans, as it typically is, the resulting bean patty is a complete source of vegan protein – meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids that the body needs to function optimally. It’s also a natural source of probiotics, prebiotics and a wide array of vitamins and minerals.

Yes! Because tempeh is naturally fermented it contains many beneficial microbes and bacteria that can positively impact the ratios of gut bugs in our gastrointestinal tract. Eating tempeh as part of a balanced diet is a great way to take care of your gut health, boost your gut diversity and the strength of your immune system; 70% of which resides in the gut. Unlike many plant based proteins tempeh falls in to the whole foods category as it is not processed.

As our tempeh is unpasteurised that means it still contains live cultures, therefore we recommend on keeping it in the freezer as this puts the culture to sleep. If you were to leave it in the fridge it will carry on fermenting and mature in flavour, with a shelf life of around 5-7 days.

Through our research and development in the CC kitchen we have discovered that tempeh is one of the most versatile ingredients in the world. Whether its making ribs, wellingtons, pâté or brownies – tempeh has got it covered. Check our recipes page for inspiration.

The culture needs oxygen during the fermentation process to grow and bind the beans together, so having the holes allows this to happen.

Yes, our tempeh is gluten free.