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Tempe Mendoan is special food from Banyumas district, Central Java officially designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage (WBTB) of Indonesia. This determination was decided through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Higher Education during the 2021 Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage Determination session in Jakarta on October 29. In this edition, we would like to invite you to get to know more about the typical food of Banyumas Regency. The word, ‘Mendoan’ is from Banyumas language, Mendo which means half-cooked or mushy. Mendoan means to cook with a lot of hot cooking oil quickly. So, the food does not cook properly. The most common ingredients of Mendoan are tempeh and tofu. However, tempeh is more often made into Mendoan.

Besides tempeh or tofu, other ingredients of Mendoan are flour, leeks, spices, such as garlic, nutmeg, coriander and pepper. Before the tempeh is fried, first, slice the tempeh thinly, and then prepare the dough. The flour is mixed with water and spices. Next, put tempeh into the dough and then fry it. Its uniqueness is that tempeh is not fried until it is dry, but is still wet and soft. It tastes delicious and crunchy. Mendoan is served hot, accompanied with cayenne pepper or soy sauce. Mendoan can be a side dish. Or it can be enjoyed as snacks to accompany by drinking a cup of tea or coffee in the morning or evening.

In Banyumas, it is not hard to find Mendoan. You can buy Mendoan in Sawangan, Purwokerto, which is a typical hawker center of Purwokerto. In addition, the good taste makes Mendoan spread outside Banyumas. Tempe Mendoan can be found in big cities in Central Java, even in Jakarta. The price is also relatively cheap from Rp 2,500 to Rp 5,000 per piece.