Tempoyak ( Jawi: تمڤويق), asam durian or pekasam is a

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

condiment made from fermented

durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...

. It is usually consumed by the ethnic Malays in Maritime Southeast Asia, notably in Indonesia and Malaysia. Tempoyak is made by taking the flesh of durian and mixing it with some salt and kept in room temperature for three or five days for fermentation. Tempoyaks are usually made during the durian season, when the abundance of durian and excess production are made into fermented tempoyak. Tempoyak is not normally consumed solely, it is usually eaten as condiment or as an ingredient for cooking; such as cooked with coconut milk curry as '' gulai tempoyak ikan patin'' ( pangasius fish tempoyak curry), or mixed with spicy chili pepper as '' sambal tempoyak''.

Fermentation

In the

Malay archipelago The Malay Archipelago (Indonesian/Malay: , tgl, Kapuluang Malay) is the archipelago between mainland Indochina and Australia. It has also been called the " Malay world," "Nusantara", "East Indies", Indo-Australian Archipelago, Spices Archipe ...

, fermented durian is known by many names. It is commonly known as ''tempoyak'' in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Southern Sumatra region (South Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and Lampung provinces). It is known as ''pekasam'' in

Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...

and ''asam durian'' in the Minangkabau region of West Sumatra. The word ''asam'' which translates to "sour" describes its

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

process. Tempoyak is made by taking the flesh of durian and mixing it with salt or sugar. It is kept at room temperature and left to ferment for three to five days. As a fermented food, the tempoyak-making process involves a number of different lactic acid bacteria. Isolated lactic acid bacteria which form colonies in fermented durian are ''

Lactobacillus casei ''Lacticaseibacillus casei ''is an organism that belongs to the largest genus in the family ''Lactobacillaceae'', a lactic acid bacteria (LAB), that was previously classified as ''Lactobacillus casei-01''. This bacteria has been identified as facu ...

'' and '' Lactobacillus rhamnosus subsp. fersantum''. These lactic acid bacteria inhibit the growth of harmful decomposing bacteria, such as '' Escherichia coli'', which in turn preserves the durian flesh. Besides its functions as a food preservative, fermented tempoyak also serves as a natural food flavoring. The addition of tempoyak into chili paste and curry can add a distinct aroma and savoury flavour to the dish.

History

Just like many fermented food products in the region (e.g. '' belacan'', '' pekasam'', '' cincalok'', '' budu'', and ''

tapai ''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of East Asia. It refers to both the ...

''), tempoyak was probably discovered unintentionally; from the excessive unconsumed durian and thus left fermented, during the abundance of durian season in the region. Tempoyak is mentioned in

Hikayat Abdullah Hikayat Abdullah (حكاية عبدالله) is a major literary work by Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, a Malacca-born Munshi of Singapore. It was completed in 1845 and first published in 1849, making it one of the first Malay literary texts to be pub ...

as a staple food for the people of Terengganu. When

Abdullah Abdul Kadir Abdullah bin Abdul al Kadir (1796–1854) ( ar, عبد الله بن عبد القادر ') also known as Munshi Abdullah, was a Malayan writer of mixed ancestry. He was a famous Malacca-born munshi of Singapore and died in Jeddah, a part of th ...

visit Terengganu around the year 1836, he said that one of the favorite food of the local resident is Tempoyak. Based on Hikayat Abdullah, tempoyak is a food special to the ethnic Malays, and a speciality of the states of the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.

Temerloh Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Temerloh has been proven to be the "centre of Peninsular Malaysia" (Malay: ) 3TS, which is situated at Kampung Paya Siput, Lanchang. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Kuantan–Kua ...

in Pahang, Malaysia is known as the capital for ''ikan patin'' because of its fish farms and also its restaurants offering savoury ''ikan patin masak tempoyak'' (silver catfish cooked in fermented durian gravy). In Indonesia, tempoyak is exceptionally popular in Southern Sumatra, especially in

Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...

, where ''tempoyak ikan patin'' (pangasius fish in tempoyak sauce), and ''brengkes tempoyak'' (tempoyak fish in banana leaf package) is a popular local specialty.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, tempoyak is especially popular in

, and also in other cities and provinces in

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

such as

Riau Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with North Sumatra to the northwest, West Sumatra to the west, and Jambi to the south. Accord ...

Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra and spans to the Barisan Mountains in the west. Its capital and largest city is Jambi. The province has a land area of 50,160.05 km2, and a sea area of 3, ...

, Bengkulu, Lampung and also Pontianak in

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

. In Palembang the dish ''tempoyak ikan patin'' ('' Pangasius'' catfish in tempoyak sauce) and '' brengkes (pepes) tempoyak'' are well known, which is a steamed fermented durian paste in banana leaf container, usually mixed with ''patin'' ('' Pangasius'' fish) as ''brengkes ikan patin tempoyak''. A spicy condiment called '' sambal tempoyak'' is made from the mixture of fermented durian, ground '' belacan'' (shrimp paste) and chili pepper. Brengkes Tempoyak Iwak Lais Palembang 1

In Lampung, tempoyak is made as ''sambal seruit tempoyak''. ''Seruit'' is shredded fried freshwater fishes, such as ''patin'' (''Pangasius''), ''baung'' ('' Hemibagrus''), ''lais'' (''

Kryptopterus ''Kryptopterus'' is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek ''kryptós'' (κρυπτός, "hidden") + ''ptéryx'' (πτέρυ� ...

''), ''belida'' (

Giant featherback ''Chitala lopis'', locally known as the belido, is an extinct species of freshwater fish, formerly endemic to the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and ...

) or ''mas'' (

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

), mixed with ground chili pepper, tomato, shallot, shrimp paste, lime juice, young unripe

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

, salt and tempoyak. In Pontianak and Bengkulu, tempoyak is usually served as spicy condiment as ''sambal tempoyak'', mixed with red chili pepper, fresh shrimp or ''teri'' (anchovy) and ''petai'' ( green stinky bean).

Malaysia

In Malaysia, tempoyak is specifically popular in the state of Pahang and

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

, yet it is also can be found elsewhere, from Kuala Lumpur to Sarawak. In Malaysia, tempoyak is an essential ingredient for '' gulai tempoyak ikan patin'' ( pangasius fish tempoyak curry) and for cooking soup with ''tang hoon'' or glass noodles.

in Pahang is known for farmed ikan patin (Shark catfish ) mostly the Swai a fish known for a popular traditional dish, patin masak tempoyak (cooked with fermented durian), and another local favorites such as pais patin (grilled with tempoyak) and deep-fried with chilies. In Sarawak, tempoyak is available in the marketplace. The taste is said to be sour and salty with a lot of nutty, durian flavours.

External links

Brengkes Tempoyak Ikan Patin recipe
Palembang style steamed pangasius fish with spicy tempoyak in banana leaf package recipe, from Femina
Patin in Fermented Durian Paste (Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin)
from Kuali

References