Tamarind
Tamarinds (also Indian dates or sour dates ) are the pods - often colloquially called " pods " - of the tamarind tree ( Tamarindus indica ), which are used in Indian , Thai , Indonesian , Mexican , Brazilian , Filipino , West and South African cuisine .
The tamarind probably comes from Africa. In Narhan on the Middle Ganges , approx. 3300 year old charcoal from tamarind was found. The name is derived from the Arabicتمر هندي= tamar hindi from, which means Indian date . In the Middle Ages, the spelling tamar indi and the Latinized tamarindus are found in healing scriptures .
description
Tamarinds are the fruit of the tamarind tree. They are about 5 to 20 cm long, cinnamon to brown, round in cross section, slightly curved and breakable. Inside the pods are the seeds , which are encased in a brownish to black-red pulp , the fruit pulp .
ingredients
The pulp of the ripe tamarind consists largely of carbohydrates and water. It has an antibacterial (antiseptic) effect. The composition varies, also depending on the degree of drying. 100 grams of pulp contain 28–52 grams of water and up to 67.4 grams of carbohydrates , as well as up to 5.6 grams of fiber, 3.1 grams of protein and rarely more than 0.1 grams of fat. Minerals to be mentioned include up to 10.9 mg iron , which is about 77% of the recommended daily allowance, 53 to 170 mg calcium , 54 to 110 mg phosphorus , large amounts of vitamin D, 375 mg of potassium iodide , 24 mg of sodium iodide and very small amounts of Vitamin A , thiamine , riboflavin , niacin and traces of oxaloacetate .
use
Tamarind can be divided into two groups in terms of taste. The sweet tamarind has a brownish pulp, the sour tamarind with an almost black pulp is similar in consistency and color to the raisin . Sour tamarind does not necessarily have to have almost black flesh, but can be just as brown as the sweet tamarind. In addition to sugar (35 to 50%), ripe tamarind fruits contain large amounts of tartaric acid (up to 20%), which, depending on the concentration, causes the sour taste. The taste of sour tamarind juice is reminiscent of lemon juice , which can also replace tamarind juice if necessary.
In Thailand and Mexico , tamarind is candied and seasoned with chilli as a hot-tasting confection , often with shrimp. In Thailand the tamarind ( Thai : มะขาม - [ máˑkʰǎːm ]) is extremely popular, is eaten fresh and dried, also pickled (both the beans and the whole pods), sweet, sour and salty. In the Philippines, tamarind is a main ingredient in the popular Sinigang sour stew . Indian cuisine uses tamarind ( Hindi : imlī , Marathi : ciñca Tamil : puli ) for a variety of sweet and sour dishes, especially in Bombay and the south. Is known z. B. Tamarind rice (Tamil: Puliyodarai, Telugu : Pulihora) and sweet and sour eggplant curry. Young tamarind leaves are also eaten as a vegetable in Telangana state . In the Middle East, especially in Lebanon , Syria and Egypt , a lemonade is made from tamarind that looks dark brown, similar to cola. To make tamarind juice, which is often sweetened because of its bitter taste, dried or fresh fruit pulp or tamarind granules are placed in water for several hours. Overall, tamarind is so versatile that it can be used for all kinds of preparations: starters, soups (e.g. Indian mulligatawny), fish and meat dishes (e.g. the Indonesian national dish rendang), vegetarian dishes and desserts (e.g. B. Tamarind Ice Cream).
The kernels of the tamarind are also used in the kitchen. Cooked or roasted, they are mashed into mush in Thai cuisine, which is available as so-called tamarind concentrate or tamarind pulp. It is an important part of Thai cuisine and gives curries a dark color and a piquant, acidic note. Since the kernels also contain a lot of pectin, they are also used to make gelling agents.
Tamarind pulp can also be found as an ingredient in seasoning sauces such as Worcestershire sauce or brown sauce .
The pods are traditionally used in regions of Thailand e.g. B. Chiang Dao / Maeung Khong broken into small pieces, mixed with tobacco and twisted into appropriately cut banana leaves for smoking. The addition of the tamarind pods can lead to strong urge to cough.
literature
- Dorian Fuller: An agricultural perspective on Dravidian historical linguistics - archaeological crop packages, livestock and Dravidian crop vocabulary . In: Peter Bellwood / Colin Renfrew: Examining the farming / language dispersal hypothesis . Cambridge 2002, pp. 191-213
- Jens Gebauer: Ecophysiology and possible uses of the wild fruit species Adansonia digitata and Tamarindus indica in Sudan . Berlin 2003. ( online )
Individual evidence
- ^ Anne Iburg (ed.): Dumonts small spice dictionary . DuMont, Cologne 2002, p. 209. ISBN 3-8320-8780-X
- ↑ Fedor Mitschke: Tamarind. All the facts, many recipes . BoD - Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2013, 2013, ISBN 9783732256303 .
Web links
- Description of the ingredients of the tamarind and the use of the fruit parts (English), accessed on January 4, 2013