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THE CHEF ENCYCLOPEDIA:
Culinary Herb & Spice Reference Guide
Tamarind
[also Imlee]
(Tamarindus indica)
(Syn Tamarindus officinalis)
Family: Leguminosae
Native to India and tropical Africa, Tamarind is also cultivated in
the West Indies. Tamarind is a large attractive tree with spreading
branches and a thick straight trunk, ash-grey bark, up to 40 feet tall.
Tamarind leaves alternate, are abruptly pinnated with leaflets that
are light green and a little hairy, in twelve to fifteen pairs. The
flowers are fragrant, yellow-veined, with red and purple filaments.
The fruits freed from brittle outer part of pericarp are used for culinary
purposes. Tamarinds are an important ingredient in curries and chutneys
in Indian cookery, and as well as a sauce for duck, geese and water
fowl. In Western India the fruit is used for pickling fish, Tamarind
fish being considered a great delicacy.
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