ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a description of the general procedure for preparing oncom and summarizes information describing the complex changes resulting from fermentation. Fermented peanut press cake is a very popular product in Indonesia. Although it has been consumed for centuries, biomodifications which contribute to nutritional and organoleptic changes during fermentation are far from being understood. The mold of choice for preparing oncom is Neurospora intermedia. This mold produces orange to orange-pink conidiospores, thus resulting in a product with a very attractive colored surface. Oncom may be fried in oil or it may be roasted, covered with boiling water, and seasoned with salt and sugar before eating. It may also be roasted, cut into pieces and covered with a ginger sauce before being consumed. The per capita consumption of oncom seems destined to increase in the future, particularly in light of increasingly significant cost advantages in producing food protein in plant vs. animal origin.
