Contemporary Design

Fungi Feast: Experimenting with Tempeh

by Taísa Helena Ribeiro
two white plates with tempeh-based biomaterial on them

Fungi Feast: Experimenting with Tempeh

This project was my first interaction Tempeh – a traditional Indonesian recipe made from fermented soybeans. The mycelium grows around the soybeans creating a soft white structure. I was driven by the possibilities of growing the mycelium on different beans and cereals and if it is possible to shape the tempeh in a way that it could be used as tableware. Understanding the way of making tempeh from scratch and the right conditions to grow the mycelium was the first stage of this research. Secondly, different cereals and beans were tested. The process of tempeh growing has very specific temperature and duration, which made the results limited to the available time of this course. I was able to experiment with four different beans in three different batches. The next step would be trying to shape it in the growing process and in the cooking process.

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