Indonesia to Register Tempeh to UNESCO As An Intangible Cultural Heritage

KOMPAS.com – Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno is poised to further raise Indonesia’s profile in the wider world, after he announced his intention to enter tempeh as an Intangible Cultural Heritage to UNESCO.

Sandiaga said that he will file his request to UNESCO at the end of the 2021. “We will use tempeh of all sizes, from small size packets to packages as big as bricks, in the various stages of the bidding process ,” he asserted during a ipress conference Monday.

“The Ministry will invite tempeh manufacturers and businesses, educational institutions, researchers, and make use of digital technology to market tempeh in culinary promotions and international tourist exhibitions. Which is just as well, because tempeh is a major part of our diet.”

Also read: UNESCO Designates Indonesian Pantun As An Intangible Cultural Heritage

Sandiaga hoped that “the granting [of an Intangible Cultural Heritage] for tempeh by UNESCO can turn tempeh into a viable product [for Indonesia’s] creative economy. By making tempeh integral to Indonesia, we hope that it will bolster the country’s tourism industry.”

He added that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy learned from rendang beef stew’s success in raising the profile of Indonesian culture and cuisine.

This occurred after the CNN International news outlet named the West Sumatra specialty as the world’s best tasting food in 2011.

Also read: How Indonesian Batik Became a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage

Aside from tempeh, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industry will also register dangdut music to UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Recently, UNESCO named Pantun verse as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2020, along with previously awarded recipients from Indonesia like Angklung percussion instruments, Batik cloth, and Pencak Silat martial art.

The UN organization also acknowledged Indonesia’s natural wonders, by giving UNESCO Global Geopark Designations to the Belitong Geopark in April 2021, as well as the Toba Caldera National Park in October 2020.

(Writer/Editor : Silvita Agmasari)

Source: 

https://www.kompas.com/food/read/2021/05/24/185716675/kabar-gembira-tempe-diajukan-jadi-warisan-budaya-unesco.