Tempeh or tempe is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. Tempeh is unique among major traditional soy foods in that it is the only one that did not originate in the Sinosphere.
Soybeans are an excellent source of key nutrients. The whole beans contain 35 to 38 percent protein, more than any other traditional unprocessed food. Soybeans have the highest-quality protein of any legume, being the only one containing all the eight (or ten) essential amino acids needed by the body.In widely used soyfoods the protein quality is approximately equal to that found in chicken or beef.