Tamarind for the daily grind

Friday, September 4, 2009

Tamarind is a tropic tree indigenous to tropical Africa and grown widely in Asia and other tropical regions.  The tamarind fruit is used in many Asian cusines and to a lesser extent in South Americam and Carribean cusines.

The fruit consists of a pod with the acidic flesh of the fruit inside with several seeds.  As the fruit ripens, the flesh inside the pod turns from a greenish color to a brown color.  Research has shown the pulp to be rich in calcium, phosphorous, iron, and other vitamins and minerals.  Tamarind fruit pulp, leaves, bark, roots, and flowers are also used for medicinal purposes in ayurveda, a form of practising holistic medicine.

There are some really good dishes that are prepared with Tamarind as a key ingredient.  Tamarind rice is very popular in South India.  In fact, certain temples distribute tamarind rice to devotees.  Sambhar and Rasam are two other popular dishes in South India that use tamarind paste along with dals (lentils) and vegetables.  There are many varieties of these two dishes that they warrant an article on their own.

In the western world, tamarind is used in preparing Worcestershire sauce.  It is not suitable for vegetarian consumptions due to other ingredients.  There are variations of the sauce that are available for vegetarians.  Tamarind is also used in many chutneys and soft drinks.  Tamarind is a really flexible, multi-use, exotic tree (and fruit) with a good impact on health that it is a must to incorporate into your lifestyle.

Please check the recipes category for dishes that use tamarind as an ingredient.  We will feature some original multi-cusine recipes that are a fusion of popular techniques used to incorporate tamarind.