Perhaps it’s already been existing since years ago. Perhaps it’s actually already available in many places. But I found out about it only recently, when I met a student who belongs to a group that runs the business: vegetable ice cream. These ice creams are not merely vegetable-flavored, but are made of real vegetables, mixed with soya milk and other substances that form the texture. They said it is sold in its production site in Lembang (will have to ask again where it is exactly) and at the canteen of SBM (School of Business and Management) of ITB. They just started with this business and is still attempting to make improvements. Of course, out of curiosity, I and a friend dropped by SBM ITB canteen the next day to have a taste.

left: carrot, right: cucumber-mint

It cost IDR 5000 per cup, this time with a bonus of an extra cup: the tomato variation. We took both the available variations, carrot and cucumber-mint, which turned out to be quite satisfactory. The texture was just right, not as creamy/milky as most ice cream. The cucumber taste came up to surface, with a hit of mint (not too strong), and it’s not as sweet as one would expect from an ice cream. The same went for the carrot variation: you’d still taste the carrot and the natural sweetness of a carrot instead of the sugary-milky sweetness of a common ice cream. The tomato variation wasn’t really appealing to me, since I prefer tomatoes in their natural form. The taste of the tomato ice cream resembles that of a frozen tomato juice, with its sourness and all.

Legume

I think this start-up business has a positive prospect, especially concerning the current awareness toward healthier food and the increasing tendency to live a vegetarian lifestyle. It’s also witty to leave the term “veg” for the brand, since that would commonly repel people who consciously avoid the categorizing of “green” lifestyles. Well, hope to see (taste) more variations of Légume!