What the Heck...

Tamarind

Grown in the West Indies, it used frequently in fruit drinks, dishes, syrups, and candies. While very awkward in appearance it is a very interesting piece of fruit.

Different cultures use it for different things.

· India use tamarind pods to cook with meat, fish, or rice as seasoning

· Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, & India like to make candy with the flesh by mixing the pulp with sugar and rolling it into balls or patties.

· Bahamas use unripe tamarind by roasting it in hot coals until they burst open; the pulp is eaten hot. They also make Tamarindade by combining the paste with water, sugar & sometimes adding spices such as cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg (earthy spices)

· Thailand use tamarind in many of their dishes. The seeds are sold separately here as a coffee replacement.

Join Cookin with Vee to get my Pad Thai recipe and read about this very interesting piece of fruit that is not just delicious but also full of medicinal benefits!