Tamarind

When you think of the spices in your spice cabinet, do you instantly conjure up images of tall trees growing in sultry places? Interestingly, most people seem to think that spices only grow on small plants (as in the garden variety), but some spices come from towering tree limbs that can only be found in exotic places. The Tamarind tree is a willowy type tree that is found in the tropics, and this tree gives us the exotic spice “tamarind.”

Not only is the spice tamarind a common ingredient when it comes to Caribbean cuisine, tamarind is also quite common in Worcestershire sauce, and the beloved HP sauce. The part of the tamarind tree that is most frequently used for different types of cuisine is the fruit pulp, which is often made into a spice. For some Caribbean dishes the hard, unripe, fruit is used in order to concoct acidic and aromatic dishes, but other types of cuisine use the fully ripened fruit which is sweet, but still slightly sour.

Caribbean cuisine really takes its flavors from a variety of countries, and when the tamarind spice is used, the essence that it provokes are also common in India, Africa, and Jamaica. Although tamarind is a common spice within Caribbean food, it is not used in every dish. In fact, tamarind is often reserved only for those plates that require that extra special touch. If you want to bring out the true taste of the tropics, try adding some tamarind to your food – unlike money, tamarind really does grow on trees.