Tamarind - sour tropical fruit

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a tropical tree from the legume family whose fruits take the form of brown pods. Inside is a sticky sweet-sour pulp enveloping hard seeds. It originates from tropical Africa but is widespread across Asia. In Thai cuisine, it forms the base of pad thai sauce. in Indian cooking, it is added to chutneys and soups. Tamarind is sold as paste, concentrate, or dried. It contains high amounts of tartaric acid, fiber, potassium, and iron.