The tamarind (Tamarindus indicates) is a tree belonging to the family of Fabaceaesubfamily of Caesalapiniaceae. It is a plant native to Madagascar and Central-Eastern Africa, now widespread in all tropical regions of the world, where it is cultivated for the production of fruits. The pulp of tamarind is in fact rich in properties, and is also sought after in the West for its transformation into drinks and sauces.

In this article we understand which are the areas of origin and diffusion of the tamarind, the botany of the tree, the traditional cultivation techniques, the properties of the fruits and the typical uses of the plant.

Origin and diffusion of tamarind

The Tamarindus indicates it can be counted fully among the exotic species. It is in fact considered native and naturalized to African countries such as: Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
From these countries the tamarind has been progressively exported to the tropical areas of the world and is currently cultivated in: Australia, India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia , Iran, Jamaica, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United States of America (Florida), Vietnam.
In practice, only in Europe does not yet exist a consolidated tradition in the cultivation of tamarind. In recent years, thanks to climate change, some experimental crops have been started, in Italy only possible on the islands and the extreme southern regions.

Botanical card of the tamarind

Tamarind tree
Tamarind is a large evergreen tree up to 30m tall with a large trunk up to 2m in diameter. It is characterized by longevity and slow growth, an old adage says: those who plant “tamarind do not harvest tamarind”. Perhaps a somewhat exaggerated reputation, in fact 7-10 years of life are enough to see the first fruits. But also the slowness of the fruit can be considered a limit to its cultivation beyond the tropical zones.
The tree develops a very dense rounded crown. The short stem is often branched almost from the base with numerous erect branches. The bark, thick and greyish, is very cracked and rises in flakes, it also has medicinal properties.

Leaves

Tamarind leaves
The leaves of the tamarind resemble those of theacacia. They are alternate on the branches, paripinnate with 10-18 pairs of leaflets carried by a hairy petiole. the leaflets are strictly oblong, the apex is rounded, but sometimes ends with a small point. The base is rounded and asymmetrical, the margin is full. They are normally hairless, except for a tuft of yellowish hair at the base and a few hairs along the midrib and margin. The leaves have the aptitude to close at night. In some particularly dry areas they can fall during the dry season.

Flowers

The flowers of tamarind plants are gathered in terminal racemes or sometimes in panicles, with a pubescent peduncle. The sepals are elliptical, yellowish and hairless, except for the base which is velvety. The 5 petals are yellow-orange veined with brown: the upper 3 are wider and larger than the two lower ones. The stamens are 3 and have the filaments welded together for half their length. Flowering occurs between spring and summer, pollination is practiced by bees and other beneficial insects.

Tamarinds

Tamarinds
The fruit is an indehiscent legume, that is, it does not open, arched and narrowed between the seeds, of a brown-rust color. The internal portion is fibrous-pulpy, contains several roundish seeds of a bright brown color. When harvested, the ripe fruits are deprived of the hard and woody outer layer, therefore the pulp remains.
The tamarind pulp, entirely edible, looks like a blackish paste with mixed fibrous filaments and seeds wrapped in a membrane.
Since the resulting paste resembles dried dates, the Arabs called the fruit tamar-u’l-Hind= date from India, and this was an inspiration to Linnaeus when he gave the name to the tree in the 18th century.

The cultivation of tamarind

The Tamarindus indicates it grows well in a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. It prefers semi-arid areas and wooded grasslands, it can also be found along the banks of streams and rivers. It does not penetrate the rainforest. The vast root system it develops contributes to its resistance to drought and wind. It also tolerates fog and salty air in coastal districts and even monsoon climates. Young trees, however, perish at the slightest frost, although older trees appear much more cold-resistant than other exotic crops, such as mango And avocado. A long and well marked dry season is required for fruiting.
At the level of type of terrain grows in most soils, but prefers deep, well-drained alluvial soils.

Temperatures and rainfall

The average annual temperature should be between 20 and 33 ° C, with average annual rainfall between 350 and 2700 mm.
Therefore, the resistance to low temperatures of young trees is the heaviest limit to the cultivation of tamarind in Italy.

Tree breeding

As mentioned, the growth of tamarind is slow, consider that a young seedling grows about 60 cm a year. The juvenile stage lasts up to 4-5 years or more. In intensive cultivation, young tamarind plants are subjected to breeding pruning to allow 3-5 well-spaced branches to develop into the main structure of the tree’s scaffold. After that, only the maintenance pruning to remove dead or damaged wood. When starting a plantation, the distance between one tree and another should be at least 10 x 10 m. The distance can be reduced with vegetatively propagated plants, for example by grafting, as they do not reach the same size as the sown trees. Smaller tamarind trees are easier to harvest. The tamarind remain productive for a long time, in that sense it is comparable to the olive treeproducing up to 150 kg of tree fruit and in large plantations up to 2 t / ha per year.

Parasites

In tropical growing areas, the most dangerous pests for tamarind are the mealybugsin particular we point out the red cochineal (Aonidiella aurantii) and the cochineal half a peppercorn (Saissetia oleae) also present in our latitudes.

Active ingredients and uses of tamarind

The pulp of the tamarind contains: organic acids (tartaric acid and potassium bitartrate), invert sugar, pectins, vitamins B and C. From these active principles derive aromatizing, thirst-quenching, intestinal regulating and laxative properties.
In general, the plant lends itself to many medicinal uses.

Uses in the West

The pulp of the tamarind, a sort of blackish paste studded with fibers and woody parts, certainly does not suggest good aromatic properties. However, it provides pleasantly acidic drinks with thirst-quenching and refreshing properties. The pulp has a high content of tartaric acid and pectins which stimulate the functioning of the intestine. The tamarind syrups in low doses exert an intestinal regulatory function, while at higher doses they are decidedly laxative.
The pulp is marketed all over the world to be made into sauces, most famous is Worcestershire sauce.
If you want to try the tamarind you can find it for sale in sauces, syrups, pastas, powders and even supplements.

Food uses of the countries of origin

Obviously in countries where tamarind is grown with a certain intensity lends itself to countless traditional uses. First of all as a fresh fruit, especially in the sweetest varieties. The flowers, leaves and seeds are also edible and are prepared in a variety of dishes. The flour obtained from the seeds is used in baking and desserts. Roasted seeds taste similar to peanuts.

Traditional uses

The foliage has a high forage value, but is rarely cut for this purpose, as cutting decreases fruit yield.
The wood, with its light yellow sapwood and dark purplish-brown heartwood, is very hard, durable and resistant. It is used for carpentry work in general, for making wooden tools, agricultural tools, mortars, boat boards, toys, panels and furniture. In North America, it is marketed under the name of Madeira mahogany. In addition, it also provides good firewood, and also produces excellent charcoal.
Both the leaves and the bark are rich in tannin. The tannins from the bark can be used to make inks or to fix dyes. The leaves produce a red dye, useful for giving a yellow tint to clothes previously dyed with indigo.
The pulp of the fruit in India is mixed with sea salt and used to polish silver, copper and brass.

uses of the tamarind tree

The tamarind tree is a symbol of wisdom and longevity and is of particular importance in its places of origin. The large, dense canopy of the tamarind provides shade and is used for city breaks as a tree for rest and meditation.
Due to its resistance to storms it is used as a windbreak. However, it should be considered that Tamarindus indicates it is incompatible with other plants as the roots have allelopathic effects, a bit like ours wot. It is therefore more commonly used as a fire tree, as grass does not grow under the trees themselves.

Tamarind in folk medicine

The tamarind, in all its parts, also boasts a long tradition in folk medicine.
The bark is astringent and tonic, its ash is administered internally as a digestive. Incorporated into lotions or poultices, the bark is also used to relieve sores, ulcers, boils and skin rashes. In form of decoction it is useful against asthma, amenorrhea and as a febrifuge.
Leaf extracts exhibit liver antioxidant activity and are a common ingredient in blood sugar and heart lowering medications. Young leaves can be used in the formation of rheumatism, applied to sores and wounds, as a poultice for inflammation of the joints, to reduce swelling and relieve pain.

Internal use

A sweetened decoction of the leaves is indicated for throat infections, coughs and fever. Hot filtered juice of young leaves and a poultice of flowers are used for conjunctivitis. The pulp can be used as a massage, but it is also indicated to treat rheumatism, as an acid coolant and a mild laxative.
The powdered seeds are prescribed to treat dysentery and diarrhea.

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Philip Owell

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