Manila tamarind

What it is

The narrow pods measure about 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long and curl as they ripen. Each holds five to ten shiny black seeds wrapped in sweet-sour pulp, usually white but sometimes red. To eat it, crack open the brittle shell, pull out the pulp and discard the seeds.

Where it comes from

Manila tamarind’s native home stretches from Mexico through Central America to Colombia and Venezuela. It now grows across the tropics, including India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

By 1795 it was established on India’s Coromandel coast, where it received its botanical description as an introduced tree. Its Manila and Madras names belong to places it reached, rather than its American homeland.

How it's eaten where it grows

In India, the pods are a push-cart snack, peeled and eaten as you walk. They also have a place in Tamil cooking as kodukapuli kozhambu, a sour, spicy gravy. Shelled, seedless pieces simmer with onions, garlic, curry leaves and a ground spice paste; jaggery rounds out the sauce, which goes with rice.

Ordinary tamarind water goes into the sauce too, but the kodukapuli pieces are the fruit you bite into. In Mexico, Cuba and Thailand, the pulp also makes a sweet, tangy drink resembling lemonade.

How it's grown

The tree commonly reaches 10–15 m (33–49 ft), with pairs of spines at the base of its leaves. It grows from seeds or cuttings and tolerates drought, poor soil and salt, though frost damages it. Regular trimming turns its spreading growth into a dense thorny hedge that keeps livestock out.

When and where you'll find it

In the Philippines, mature fruit is usually abundant in January and February. In western Java, pods usually ripen from June to August, two to three months after flowering. Roadside stands in Mexico, Cuba and Thailand sell the pods for fresh eating.

In the US, Miami Fruit, a specialist online seller, lists the fresh pods as guamuchil, Manila tamarind and Madras thorn. The part you eat is the pulp inside each pod, with the black seeds removed.