The tamarind is a brown, flat, irregularly curved pod about 3 to 8 inches long with a sour, fruity taste. The pod may have as many as 12 large, flat, glossy seeds embedded in a brown, edible pulp.
With regard to its high sugar content, some may hesitate to eat tamarinds; however, the fruit is rich in calcium, iron, thiamin, magnesium, potassium and fibre. Nutrients Found in Tamarind Vitamin B1, B6, B12, C, K, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosphorous.
Did you know?
The tamarind, also known as “Indian date,” is one of the few fruits native to Africa that is enjoyed in the cuisines of many other continents. The tree is a slow-growing, long-lived evergreen with supple branches and bright-green leaves that appear in pairs, 1 to 2-1/2 inches in length, and fold up at night.
Tamarind Uses
Tamarind is available in Indian and Asian markets as fresh fruit, as a concentrated pulp with seeds, as a paste, as whole pods dried into “bricks,” and as a powder. Tamarind has a variety of uses in cooking. The immature fruit can be roasted and served as a “vegetable,” or it can be used to season rice, fish, or meat. Ripe tamarind is eaten fresh or made into sauces, chutneys, or curry dishes. It is also one of the many ingredients in Worcestershire sauce. Tamarind pulp concentrate is often used as a flavouring in East Indian and Middle Eastern dishes, in much the same way lemon juice is used in Western cuisine. Tamarind’s sweet-sour flavour combines well with the spicy flavour of chilli in the Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, where unripe pods are used in soups and stews. In Indian cooking, tamarind is used as a seasoning in lentil and bean dishes and in the dish called “vindaloo.” Tamarind syrup, which can be found in Dutch, Indonesian, and East Indian markets, is used to flavour soft drinks.
2002. Encyclopedia of foods. San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press.