Oncom facts for kids
Closer view of red oncom mold.
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| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | West Java |
| Associated national cuisine | Indonesia |
Oncom is a traditional food from West Java, Indonesia. It's a bit like tempeh, another popular Indonesian food. Both oncom and tempeh are made using a special process called fermentation. This means tiny living things, like mold, help change the food.
Oncom is a very important food in Sundanese cuisine. It comes in two main types: red oncom and black oncom.
How Oncom is Made
Oncom is usually made from leftover materials from other food productions. This makes it a very smart and efficient food!
Here are some common ingredients used to make oncom:
- Soy pulp: This is what's left after making tofu.
- Peanut press cake: This is the leftover part after oil is pressed out of peanuts.
- Cassava tailings: These are bits left after getting starch (like tapioca) from cassava.
- Coconut press cake: This is what remains after pressing out coconut oil or making coconut milk.
Because oncom uses these leftover materials, it helps reduce waste. It also makes food production more efficient.
Types of Oncom
There are two main kinds of oncom, and they are made with different types of mold:
- Black oncom is made using a mold called Rhizopus oligosporus. This is the same type of mold used to make tempeh.
- Red oncom is made using a mold called Neurospora intermedia var. oncomensis. Interestingly, oncom is the only human food made from this specific type of mold.
Some studies have shown that red oncom might help lower cholesterol levels.
Keeping Oncom Safe
When making oncom, it's super important to keep everything clean. This helps stop bad bacteria or other fungi from growing. For example, some molds like Aspergillus flavus can produce harmful substances called aflatoxins.
Luckily, the molds used for oncom (Neurospora intermedia var. oncomensis and Rhizopus oligosporus) actually help reduce the amount of aflatoxin. However, it's still very important to follow strict hygiene rules. This ensures the oncom is safe and healthy to eat.
Cooking Oncom
Oncom can be cooked in many yummy ways!
- It can be simply deep-fried to make crispy gorengan fritters.
- It can be seasoned and cooked inside a banana leaf pouch, a dish called pepes.
- It can be roasted, seasoned, and mixed with steamed rice to make nasi tutug oncom. This is a very popular dish!
- Oncom is also a tasty filling for snacks like comro, lontong, and arem-arem rice dumplings.
Comro is a famous Sundanese snack. Its name comes from "oncom di jero," which means "oncom inside."
See also
In Spanish: Oncom para niños
