Tamarind

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{{Taxobox | color = lightgreen | name = Tamarind | image = Tamarindus indica pods.JPG | image_width = 240px | regnum = Plantae | divisio = Magnoliophyta | classis = Magnoliopsida | ordo = Fabales | familia = Fabaceae | subfamilia = Caesalpinioideae | tribus = Detarieae | genus = Tamarindus | species = T. indica | binomial = Tamarindus indica | binomial_authority = L. }}

The Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is the only species of the genus Tamarindus in the family Fabaceae. It is a tropical tree, native to eastern Africa but now introduced into most of tropical Asia as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.

Image:TamarindSeedling.jpg The tree can grow up to 20 m in height, and stays evergreen in regions without a dry season. Tamarind timber consists of hard, dark red heartwood and softer, yellowish sapwood. The leaves consist of 10-40 leaflets. The flowers are produced in racemes. The fruit is a brown pod-like legume, which contains a soft pulp and many hard-coated seeds. The seeds can be scarified to enhance germination.

Alternative names include Indian date, translation of Arabic تمر هندي tamr hindī. In Malaysia it is called asam in Malay and swee boey in Hokkien. In Indonesia it is called asem (or asam) Jawa (means Javanese asam) in Indonesian. In India it is called imlee. In Sinhala the name is siyambala, in Telugu it is called Chintachettu (tree) and Chintapandu (fruit extract) and in Tamil and Malayalam it is puli. The tamarind is the provincial tree of the Phetchabun province of Thailand.

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Uses

Image:Pulp.jpg The fruit pulp is edible and popular, used as a spice both in Asian as well as in Latin American cuisine, and is also an important ingredient to Worcestershire sauce and HP sauce. The pulp of a young fruit is very sour, and hence suitable for main dishes, whereas a ripened fruit is sweeter and can be used in desserts, drinks, or as a snack.

The wood is a beautiful red timber. Due to its denseness and durability, tamarind heartwood can be used in making furniture and wood flooring.

Tamarind trees are very common in South India particularly in Andhra Pradesh. They are also used as ornamental trees and to provide shade on the country roads and highways. Monkeys love the ripened tamarind fruit.

The pulp, leaves, and the bark also have medical applications. For example, in the Philippines, the leaves have been traditionally used in herbal tea for reducing malaria fever. It is a staple in the South Indian diet, where it is used to prepare Sambhar (spicy lentil soup with lots of vegetables), Pulihora rice, and various types of chutneys. Tamarind is available in Indian stores worldwide. It is also sold as a candy in Mexico (see for example, pulparindo), and in various snack forms in Southeast Asia (dried and salted, dried and candied, as a cold drink). Tamarind, due to its medicinal value, is used as an Ayurvedic Medicine for gastric and/or digestion problems.

In Latin America especially Mexico, and also immigrant communities in the US the fruit is wildly popular and is fashioned into almost anykind of treat. Many popular Tamarindo concoctions are hard candies and suckers and one of the most popular aguas frescas is flavored as such. Tamarind is a popular food in Mexico and is used in many Mexican candies.

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