A Tart Taste

In the Caribbean and especially Barbados, there are little goodies which are synonymous with our island. One of these indulgent little morsels are Tamarind Balls- sweet but tart balls of goodness that explode with intense flavour in your mouth. You may have heard of tamarind before, fruit which is found in a segmented brittle pod from a tamarind tree. Tamarind trees are very large with heavy drooping branches which are surrounded by thick foliage. Some tamarind trees may even reach up to 80 feet in height bearing many tamarind pods. The brown sticky pulp of the fruit is embedded in these brittle and unusually shaped pods with 3 or 4 seeds (dark brown colour), depending on the size of the pod.  

Health Benefits of Tamarind

• Tamarind is rich in many vital vitamins such as thiamin, vitamin A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin-C. 
• Tamarind is a good source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, iron, selenium, zinc and magnesium.
• Tamarind is rich is tartaric acid which acts as a powerful antioxidant and protects the body from harmful free radicals.
• Its sticky pulp is a rich source of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) or dietary fiber such as gums, hemicelluloses, mucilage, pectin and tannins. 100 g of fruit pulp provides over 13% of dietary fiber. NSP or dietary fiber in the food increases its bulk and augments bowel movements thereby helping prevent constipation. The fiber also binds to toxins in the food thus helping protect the colon mucus membrane from cancer causing chemicals.

If you are interested in whipping up some Tamarind Balls, we have got the recipe for you:

• 1 1/2 lb sugar, approximately
• 1 lb Tamarind pulp, cleaned
• 3 tbsp flour (optional)
• pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and form the mixture into a circular ball with your hands. Roll the tamarind balls in brown sugar and wholla! As easy as that!