Tamarind
The reddish brown, curved seed pods of a lovely tropical tree hold several large seeds encased by moist, sticky, dark brown flesh that varies from being very sweet to very sour. The latter is used as one of the primary souring agents in Thai cooking, imparting a delicious fruity tartness to soups, salads, stir-fries and sauces.

Because of its widespread habitat and easy cultivation, tamarind has found its way into the cuisines of many countries around the world, from the African and Asian continents to the tropical Americas. In Thailand, tamarind trees are often grown for their shade as much as for their fruit pods. These beautiful trees grace many city parks in Bangkok and other provincial towns. They are also found in the gardens of many Thai homes.

Tamarind in Cooking
If you are able to find sour tamarind pods, break open the brittle pods and remove the moist flesh from the strings that hold them in place. Remove the seeds and use the meat to make tamarind water or juice. Making tamarind juice with your fingers works best, as mashing with a spoon or fork does not do as efficient a job in dissolving the soft pulp and will either take more time or waste a lot of tamarind; and straining through a sieve only makes a mess that requires more time to clean up

Other Uses for Tamarind
Besides using it in cooking, wet tamarind is a valuable silver polisher; the large silver factories in Chiang Mai use plenty of it to shine their beautifully tooled silver bowls and jewelry to an impeccable sheen.

In addition to the tart fruit, the edible leaves and flowers of tamarind trees are also sour and are eaten fresh in salads and with chilli dips. They are used instead of the fruits to add sourness to some types of spicy-sour soups. Tamarind seeds, on the other hand, are roasted and added to other roasted ingredients to make a coffee substitute. They are also roasted, soaked and eaten whole as a folk medicine to drive out intestinal parasites.