Tamarind

Tamarind

Also known as the Indian date, the tamarind is the fruit of a tall shade tree native to Asia and northern Africa and widely grown in India. The large pod about 5 “contains small seeds and a sour sweet pulp that we dried, becomes extremely sour. Tamarind pulp concentrate is popular as a flavoring in East Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine’s, much like lemon juice is in western culture. It’s used to season full-flavored foods such as chutney, curry dished and pickled fish. Additionally tamarind is used to make a sweet syrup flavoring soft drinks. It’s also an integral ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. Tamarind can be found in East Indian and some Asian markets in various forms, concentrated pulp with seed, canned paste, whole pods dried into brick or ground into powder.

If making tamarind paste from tamarind pods, the seeds must first be removed and then simmered in water until the flesh around the seed is soft. This is then strained through a fine sieve to remove the fibrous strand and the seeds