This fruit is great for snack, real sweet outside and a slight tart inside near the seed.
Tony
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Yes. Many times. Love it. It’s quite different from the sour one (which is used as an ingredient in many recipes).
The sweet one is treated like fruit. Somehow, there is one particular area in the north that sweet tamarind grows well.
I now have sensitive teeth (probably from eating too many sour ones) now so I can’t even handle too many sweet ones.
For those who are adventurous, it’s something worth trying. It’s definitely sweet but has sour undertone, very unique.
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love this stuff. If you want your fruit sweet and sour, tamarind is the way to go. The sour component somewhat disguises the sweet, but in reality, has the highest sugar content of any fruit at ~56 brix. Coming at a far second place are jujubes at 30+ brix.
only drawbac is that still relatively expensive, so hoping they are growing these alongside the jacfruit and rambutan plantations in mexico. Being a legume, it will be an awesome nitrogen provider to other fruit trees
Yes, and they are delicious. They grew in my backyard in Puerto Rico. It was the sweetest paste I’d ever eaten, but did have a tangy after taste.
Never known it can be eaten just like that, I use Tamarind for cooking before. Good to know. Thanks.
I’ve had one growing near Houston for several years in a large pot, and It does grow easily, but freezes prevent it from growing large. I planted it in the ground this last Spring, which really got it to accelerate new growth. It will get a structure of some sort soon in preparation for future freezes. The leaves have culinary uses, even if this tree never does fruit w/o extraordinary protection. A couple years ago a surprise 26 degree freeze arrived and along with rain made a 100% ice coating on the potted tree. Surprisingly, the 1" thick trunk survived and later sent out several new shoots.
you got that right!
leaves are used for sour broths(same with immature fruit/pods), and may also be used for roasts. Imparts a pleasant sour flavor to the concoction.
there is a dry-type tamarind which is even more expensive than the ones eaten at a mature stage. Already sweet even when still green(like super-sweet pickles), and quite addictive!
makes me want to pack up and move to PR–as in now!
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It is a very useful and beautiful tree. Wood is used to make beautiful furniture. Where I grew up, the best sling shot was made of tamarind wood.
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also makes excellent driftwood to grow orchids on, as the heartwood is quite rot-resistant
I’ve tried green tamarind salsa and it’s delicious!
The leaves are also edible. They can be eaten with salt and lemon juice.