The Serumpun Codex · Ferments, grains and starches
Tempoyak
Overripe durian fermented with a little salt.
The entry
- Name
- Tempoyak
- Other names
- Fermented durian
- Scientific name
- From durian, Durio zibethinus Murray
- What it is
- Overripe durian fermented with a little salt.
- Knowledge from
- Recorded for Malay communities, including in West Borneo. In Sarawak, tempoyak goreng is recorded among the daily traditional dishes of the Sarawak Malays.
- How it is used
- Overripe durian flesh mixed with about 2% salt, closed and fermented for four to seven days.
- In the French Borneo kitchen
- A tempoyak crème in Course II, Forest, at Osaka; also at the Kuching Finale.
- Season and place
- Made in the durian season. In Kuching, November and December are reckoned the best durian months, with some fruit into January.
- Conservation status
- Not applicable
- Codex Alimentarius
- Possibly CXS 260-2007, pickled fruits and vegetables, when packed for sale
- Medicinal knowledge
- Held privately by the community
- Consent
- Given, recorded by CHASS, 30 October 2026
Still to be confirmed: who shared it with Serumpun.
Sources
- Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2023
- Sarawak Tribune, Adeline Liong, My durian adventures (column), 14 January 2024
- Sabariah Abd Samad, Imilia Ibrahim and Norlida Ismailly, Penterjemahan Budaya Melayu Sarawak melalui Hidangan Tradisi, UiTM Sarawak, ICOMHAC 2015
Added to the Codex on 1 November 2026. Sources last checked on 1 November 2026.
Anyone may cook with this knowledge, commercially too, provided the community it comes from is credited by name. To correct or withdraw this entry, write to the Custodian at connect@chefjameswon.com.
How to cite this entry
Serumpun Sarawak (2026) ‘Tempoyak’, The Serumpun Codex, ed. James Won. Available at: https://www.chefjameswon.com/serumpun/codex/tempoyak/ (sources checked 1 November 2026).
Quote any entry with this citation, and name the community whose knowledge it is.