Tamarind
fruit pulp
is
traditionally
popular in
India as
condiment
added to
many dishes
like Rasham,
Sambar,
chutneys,
curries etc.
Technology
is available
now for
manufacture
of pectin
out of this
pulp. It is
also
possible to
manufacture
tartarates
and alcohol
from this
pulp.
The pulp has a
lot of medicinal
virtues.
Ayurvedic
practitioners
and folk doctors
frequently used
it as medicine.
It was also a
part of our home
remedial system.
The ripe fruit
is considered as
appetizing,
laxative, tonic
to the heart,
anthelmintic,
heals wounds and
fractures, and
rectifies
disorders of
Kapha and Vayu
Indian names
are as follows:
Hindi, Punjabi,
Urdu
:Imli
Assamese
:Ttali
Bengali
:Tentul
Gujarati
:Ambli
Kannada
:Hunise Hannu
Malayalam
:Puli
Marathi
:Chinch, Chincha
Oriya
:Tentuli
Sanskrit
:Yamadutika,
Amli, Abdika
Tamil
:Puli
Telugu
:Chinthappandu,
Chinta, Amlika
Verities
of Tamarind
In
some regions the type with
reddish flesh is distinguished
from the ordinary brown-fleshed
type and regarded as superior in
quality. There are types of
tamarinds that are sweeter than
most. One in Thailand is known
as 'Makham waan'. One
distributed by the United States
Department of Agriculture's
Subtropical Horticulture
Research Unit, Miami, is known
as 'Manila Sweet'.
Very young trees should be
protected from cold but older
trees are surprisingly hardy.
Wilson Popenoe wrote that a
large tree was killed on the
west coast of Florida (about
7.5º lat. N) by a freeze in
1884. However, no cold damage
was noted in South Florida
following the low temperatures
of the winter of 1957-1958 which
had severe effects on many
mango, avocado, lychee and lime
trees. Dr. Henry Nehrling
reported that a tamarind tree in
his garden at Gotha, Florida,
though damaged by freezes,
always sprouted out again from
the roots. In northwestern
India, the tree grows well but
the fruits do not ripen. Dry
weather is important during the
period of fruit development. In
South Malaya, where there are
frequent rains at this time, the
tamarind does not bear.
Description
Tamarind is from a curved brown
bean-pod from the tamarind tree.
The pod contains a sticky pulp
enclosing one to ten shiny black
seeds. It is the pulp that is
used as a flavoring for its
sweet, sour, fruity aroma and
taste. It is available as a
pressed fibrous slab, or as a
jam like bottled concentrate, and
some Indian shops carry the
dried pods.
Plant Description and
Cultivation
The tamarind tree is a tropical
evergreen which grows to a
height of 20m (aprox 70ft). It
has a thick grey bark; the small
oval leaves are pale green.
Small clusters of yellow flowers
with red stripes bloom in May
and fruits in October to
November. The brown curved pods
are brittle, irregular and
bulbous; up to 10 cm (4"). The
tree grows best in semi-arid
tropical regions and is
propagated by seed or cuttings.
Little attention is required
though in some areas, like
Africa and the West Indies,
insects are a problem, leaving
India to export several thousand
tons each year around the world.
Fresh Tamarind
We can supply fresh Tamarind,
both Seedless and with Seeds
packed in 10 kg plastic bags.
Seedless Tamarind is also
supplied in the form of round
pancake shape, of 500 grams
or 1 kg.
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