Movement: continuing in the footsteps of revivalists
Pulses have traveled this Earth for as long as humans have cultivated it. Each pea, each lentil, and each bean carries a story. Some have been prized, revered by saints or even considered lucky, while others have been cast off and left to the peasants.
In the modern Western diet, we have replaced whole foods with processed foods. Especially in households without heritage ties to food and cuisine, we have childhood memories of repugnant canned beans, If you grew up in the U.S., odds are beans and peas did not appeal to your adolescent diet.
A lot of us have awakened to the idea of what real food looks like, with some maintaining or even reclaiming the ways that their ancestors cooked. The real gift is that food always has the opportunity to be reborn and to die, to adapt and to travel into new places, if not a new realm of possibilities.
Tempeh traveled from Indonesia into the Americas in the late 60’s and early 70’s, finding its way into the homes and kitchens of people seeking out nutritious fermented foods.
By The Brook Tempeh is continuing in the footsteps of the fermented food revivalists. We want to add our own story of what tempeh can be in a world that is more receiving of plant-based foods than ever before. Each block is dedicated to the idea of the traveling nature of food, community, and fermentation. Whether it's the fungi taking hold in our tempeh, weaving mycelium webs throughout the beans, or how our benne seeds made their way from West Africa to South Carolina, each tempeh variety has a story to share.
“Ideas ferment as they spread and mutate and inspire movements for change.”