TEMPEH BURGER - WHAT KIND OF FOOD IS IT?

Visiting Yogyakarta, or Kaliurang, in particular, will not be complete without tasting its iconic cuisine, tempeh burger. Being known as “jadah tempeh” or “Javanese burger” by local people, tempeh burger was the favorite food of the late Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX. He was the former king of Yogyakarta and often sent his people to buy the snack directly in Kaliurang. It was said that the Sultan once fell in love with the unique taste of the food when he ate it for the first time.

From then on, the tempeh burger never leaves the king’s dining table. The uniqueness of “jadah tempeh” is in contrast. “Jadah” that has a smooth texture and salty taste is mixed with “tempeh bacem” that has a rough texture and tastes sweet. Both are the traditional foods of Yogyakarta people and can be found in their daily menu for hundreds of years ago.

So, where does the name “tempeh burger” or “Javanese burger” come from? Well, it comes from the way the food is served that looks like a burger you often find in western restaurants. A “tempeh bacem” is sandwiched between two pieces of “jadah”, making it look like a western burger. The two “jadah” as the buns while the “tempeh bacem” to replace the meat.

"JADAH TEMPEH MBAH CARIK"

“Jadah” as the traditional food of Javanese people, particularly those who live in Yogyakarta and regions around it has a very long history. It is a favorite snack of villagers there and has been around for hundreds of years. However, the history of “jadah tempeh” or tempeh burger itself can be dated back to 1950. It was when Sastro Dinomo, or often known as “Mbah Carik” opened a food store in Kaliurang and sold the snack. Today, there are a lot of places around Kaliurang that sell this food for.

However, “jadah tempe Mbah Carik” is still the most popular one. The original taste of the “jadah tempeh” sold in the store never changes even after 70 years. That is why “jadah tempe Mbah Carik” often becomes the first destination when tourists want to taste the unique taste of tempeh burger. To taste the tempeh burger of Mbah Carik you can come to Kaliurang Street (Jakal) Kilometer 12.5, Sleman Region, Yogyakarta.

The shop is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Manage to come to the food store earlier since it is always visited by hundreds of tourists a day. You don’t want to run out of “jadah tempeh” when you arrive there, do you?