Government Pushes UNESCO to Recognise Tempe as World Cultural Heritage
Jakarta – The Indonesian Tempe Forum (FTI) has launched a series of events for National Tempe Day (Hartempenas) 2026, under the theme “Tempe Goes Global: From Local Wisdom to World Cultural Heritage”.
The Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation at the Ministry of Culture, Endah T.D Retnoastuti, representing the Minister, confirmed that the submission of tempe culture to UNESCO, which has been underway since early 2024, is expected to receive designation towards the end of 2026.
“Tempe is not merely a food product, but also a reflection of Indonesian local wisdom in managing resources sustainably, whilst embodying strong communal cooperation values,” Endah stated on Thursday, 18 June 2026. “The fermentation process of tempe is viewed as a form of community adaptation to the environment, utilising raw materials and local wisdom.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Indonesian Tempe Forum, Prof. Dr. Hardinsyah, explained that through the 2026 Hartempenas activities, the public is invited to understand that tempe possesses value far beyond food and nutrition. He emphasised that tempe contains dimensions of history, culture, technology, grassroots economy, public health, food security, environmental sustainability, and cultural diplomacy, which are increasingly relevant in the current global context.
At the peak of the event, FTI also introduced the idea of establishing a Global Tempe Forum, an international collaborative platform expected to serve as a hub for knowledge exchange, research, innovation, cultural promotion, and the development of a sustainable tempe ecosystem at the global level.
“The role of tempe is not only as a source of food and nutrition and the inheritance of traditional Indonesian wisdom, but it also has enormous potential to drive economic growth and generate foreign exchange through tempe exports,” said Hardinsyah. According to him, tempe culture is seen as representing Indonesian local wisdom in managing food sustainably and demonstrates how a local tradition can contribute to global solutions concerning health, food security, and environmental sustainability. “The Indonesian Tempe Forum is always committed to promoting Tempe Culture nationally and globally,” he added.
The event series also involved the Indonesian Association of Nutrition and Food Experts (PERGIZI PANGAN), the Indonesian Food and Beverage Foundation (YAMMI), Sahid University, the Professional Nutritionist Programme of the Faculty of Medicine and Nutrition at IPB University, as well as the Ministry of Culture, universities, business actors, and various other stakeholders.