what is tamarind?

Answer 1

it's a kind of bean but taste sour. Use to cook hot, sour and spicy foods.

Answer 2

I have seen tamarind seed pods picked off tamarind trees in Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. They were about 7 or 8 inches long, brownish, and kind of flat. Inside were seeds and sort of a grainy brown sticky stuff in the pod itself that was scraped out with a spoon or butter knife and used to make a brownish drink in a glass pitcher, requiring plenty of sugar or sweetener - unless the person liked it on the sour/bitter side. I don't think the seeds themselves were used for anything - just the brown sticky paste. You can order "tamarindo" (tah-mah-reen-doh) in some Mexican restaurants. I think they also sell tamarind soda pop but can't remember the brand name.

Answer 3

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, including parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests, but now introduced into most of tropical Asia as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.

The fruit pulp is edible and popular. It is used as a spice in both Asian and Latin American cuisines, and is also an important ingredient in Worcestershire sauce and HP sauce. The pulp of a young fruit is very sour and acidic and is most often used as a component of savory dishes. The ripened fruit is sweeter and can be used in desserts and drinks, or as a snack.

Answer 4

Tamarind is a fruit. It comes in bean shaped pods. When ripe, they become sticky and sweet. Tamarind is used in barbeque sauces, jams and confections. It's also used a lot in Asian cooking, especially Thai cooking. Check out the sources I've listed for more information.

Answer 5

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, including parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests, but now introduced into most of tropical Asia as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.

Answer 6

A tamarind is a tropical tree with edible leaves and flowers and pods filled with pulp used to make a cooling drink. It is also known as 'The Date of India'.

According to my cookery encyclopedia:-

The fruit of a tropical tree grown in the East and West Indies and similar regions. The leaves and flowers are eaten as a vegetable, while the acid, juicy pulp found in the pods is used to make preserves, sauces and chutneys and figures largely in Eastern curries and other dishes. The seeds are ground into meal and baked as cakes. In this country (England) tamarind is known chiefly as an ingredient in chutney.

Answer 7

"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, including parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests, but now introduced into most of tropical Asia as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Answer 8

Tamarind is a fruit that is used in many south asian cuisines. They are quite good. You can buy them in most asian markets.

There's also a tamarind monkey, if that's what your looking for.

Answer 9

here's a nice article about tamarind:
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/tamarind.html

as a kid I used to eat these from a tree on my walk home. they were very sour. the other day I tried a tamarind drink from Goya that was very sweet & sour but gave me a stomach ache later. tamarind gives worcestshire sauce its distinctive flavor. it's very popular in thai cooking, such as an ingredient in pad thai. also used a lot in indian cooking too... have you tried curry?

Answer 10

A tropical Asian evergreen tree (Tamarindus indica) having pinnately compound leaves, pale yellow flowers, and long pods containing small seeds embedded in an edible pulp.

Answer 11

Fruit for asian cooking, got paste made of it too.
Here's the picture:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tamarind