"Acculturation" Transforms Local Fermented Culinary Delights into Fine Dining
The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) is set to host a food festival titled “Akulturasi,” which features traditional fermented culinary delights transformed into fine dining dishes using the latest fermentation technologies developed by the Institute.
Andryanto Rikrik Kusmara, ITB Vice Rector for Communication, Partnership, Alumni, and Administration, stated at the Ganesha Campus in Bandung that the event serves as an exhibition for the downstreaming of food research from four interdisciplinary faculties at ITB, merging science, technology, art, and culture. “We want to show the public that science and technology offer vast inspiration for food processing and food security. The work of researchers and students must not stop in the classroom but must have a direct impact on the community’s economy,” Andryanto said on Tuesday.
The main highlight of the festival is the ‘Fermen Station,’ a limited dinner banquet scheduled for the evening of 19 June. This eight-course fine dining session will serve carefully curated unique culinary items, such as tape (fermented cassava) and fermented ginger, accompanied by narratives explaining the technology behind their production.
Andryanto added that the fine dining session is intended as a limited space for strategic discussions with banking and government partners. However, the general public can attend the main festival and participate in free food tasting sessions at the field in front of the Ganesha Campus Hall. “The spirit is to collaborate with banking partners and local governments to strengthen food security and the creative culinary industry. We invite MSMEs to utilise ITB’s fermentation technology to increase the economic value of their products,” he said.
Iendra Sofyan, Head of the West Java Tourism and Culture Office (Disparbud), welcomed ITB’s initiative. He noted that the touch of modern fermentation technology is crucial for driving the downstreaming of West Java’s local agricultural commodities, ensuring they are not merely sold as raw materials. “This technological touch supports the development of our gastronomy and helps MSMEs upgrade towards industrialisation. For example, Cilembu sweet potato is ordinary when just roasted, but with ITB’s fermentation technology, its value could become much more varied and high-added,” Iendra remarked.
The West Java Tourism and Culture Office also aims to leverage the festival’s potential as a storytelling-based culinary tourism attraction. The narrative of science and culture is believed to strengthen the preservation of local cuisine, especially as West Java has successfully recorded up to 200 Intangible Cultural Heritages (WBTB) by 2025. Moving forward, ITB and Disparbud West Java project that this research-based food festival can be prepared on a much larger scale, potentially becoming a new annual trademark for tourism and innovation in West Java. The ITB Akulturasi Festival is organised in collaboration with Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN).