Taste of Mexico: Tamarindo

I don’t deliberation I’m exaggerating erstwhile I accidental that 1 of the archetypal flavors Mexicans larn to admit is tamarind. Whether successful agua fresca oregon successful the endless, chili-dusted candies that assemblage store shelves, that sweet-and-sour tang is etched into our memories. For me, it’s downright addictive. Tamarind is truthful contiguous successful our mundane lives that it feels autochthonal to Mexico — yet this funny legume is thing but.

The Origin

You’ve astir apt guessed wherever this is going: similar galore different culinary treasures, tamarind reached Mexico acknowledgment to the Spanish, and their insatiable tendency to power planetary commercialized routes.

Tamarind is grown connected trees and its technological name, Tamarindus indica, means “Indian date.” (Wikimedia Commons/B.navez)

The effect is autochthonal to Africa, though its nonstop birthplace is debated. Some hint it to Madagascar earlier it dispersed to Southeast Asia and India, wherever it was known arsenic amlika. During the Muslim concern of the Iberian Peninsula (711–1492), Andalusian Spaniards became acquainted with a wealthiness of Arab, African and Asian flavors. These included not lone pepper, cardamom, and ginger, but also, of course, tamar-ul-hind, the “date of India.”

The Manila Galleon

The find of the tornaviaje successful 1565 — Andrés de Urdaneta’s instrumentality way crossed the Pacific — changed planetary commerce for the adjacent 250 years. The Spanish galleons near Manila, followed currents up past Japan, and past crossed the ocean. After 4 oregon 5 grueling months, they arrived successful Acapulco.

For 2 and a fractional centuries, Acapulco was the main hub linking Asia and the Americas. Asian goods offloaded determination were carried crossed Mexico, reaching Veracruz, wherever a caller shipment mixed with Mexican products would acceptable sail for Seville.

The Manila Galleon (or Nao de China) reshaped New Spain’s aesthetic and, much importantly, enriched its kitchen.

Tamarind, Mexican Style

Tamarind’s spirit illustration was the cleanable foil to the existing tastes of Mesoamerican cuisine: the caller herbaceousness of maize and beans, the vigor of chile, the sweetness of squash, and the acidity of herb each gained caller extent erstwhile combined with tamarind’s crisp tang.

And Mexico’s clime proved perfect for cultivating the tree. It adapted truthful rapidly and was embraced truthful wholeheartedly that galore radical contiguous presume tamarind is autochthonal to Mexico.

Bolitas de tamarindo are 1 of galore delicious specialties successful which tamarind is an ingredient. (Germán Torreblanca)

As we’ve seen with countless different ingredients, nutrient successful Mexican civilization carries a medicinal dimension. Tamarind wasn’t conscionable delicious. It was believed to trim fever, soothe digestive problems and enactment arsenic a earthy laxative.

Nutritional Profile

They weren’t wrong. Tamarind is affluent successful vitamins A, B3 and C, on with minerals specified arsenic magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and iron. Thanks to its fibre content, it immunodeficiency digestion. Modern subject confirms what contented agelong suspected: tamarind has laxative, diuretic, astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

How to Eat It

Tamarind’s uses spell acold beyond agua fresca and candies. It’s besides an constituent successful salsas, adobos, moles, jams and desserts.

How to Prepare It

 No substance what you program to make, commencement by removing the brittle outer ammunition and the fibrous veins. Soak the pulp successful lukewarm h2o for 30 to 60 minutes, past region the seeds.

From there, you tin hole a paste oregon sphere to marque your ain less-sugary tamarind candies. Personally, though, my favourite mode to showcase tamarind’s complexity is successful a marinade, which is cleanable for meat, chicken, fish, tofu oregon mushrooms.

This is 1 of my power recipes: a once-secret staple successful my kitchen, brimming with nutrients, minerals, and vitamins.

Tamarind Marinade (Serves 4–6)

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Ingredients:

200 g tamarind pulp

1 cupful water

2 tbsp day syrup oregon agave nectar (or sweetener of choice)

1 tbsp pome cider vinegar

Juice of 1 caller lime

2 mean ail cloves, finely chopped

1 portion caller ginger (about 3 cm), grated

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp toasted sesame lipid (optional)

½ tsp crushed turmeric

¼ tsp crushed cumin

¼ tsp saccharine paprika

Freshly crushed achromatic pepper, to taste

2 tbsp chopped caller cilantro

1 tbsp chopped caller parsley

¼ tsp oversea brackish oregon Himalayan salt

Step-by-Step Preparation

1. Prepare the Base: Soak 200 g of pulp successful lukewarm h2o for 20 minutes, past strain retired seeds and fibers.

2. Balance Sweet and Acidic: Add day syrup, pome cider vinegar and lime juice. Whisk vigorously until good combined.

3. Add Aromatics: Stir successful ail and ginger. Beyond flavor, some adhd anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.

4. Emulsify with Oils: Slowly whisk successful olive lipid to make a unchangeable emulsion. If utilizing sesame oil, adhd it past to sphere its delicate taste.

5. Season with Spices: Incorporate turmeric, cumin, paprika and achromatic pepper. These don’t conscionable physique flavor, they’re besides bioactive compounds with proven wellness properties.

6. Finish with Fresh Herbs: Gently fold successful cilantro and parsley to sphere freshness and maximize antioxidants.

7. Rest: Taste, set brackish if needed, and fto the marinade beryllium astatine country somesthesia for 30 minutes truthful the flavors meld.

Recommended Marinating Times

Delicate fish: 30–45 minutes

Chicken: 2–4 hours

Red meat: 4–8 hours

Tofu oregon vegetables: 1–2 hours

Friends, don’t skip this marinade — it lends a sophisticated, layered and utterly delicious spirit to immoderate you cook. Tamarind is, paradoxically, 1 of the astir Mexican and least-talked-about flavors. I anticipation that adjacent clip you wound into a chili-coated candy, sip a solid of tamarind agua fresca, oregon effort this recipe, you’ll deliberation astir the strange, affluent and winding past of Mexico’s spot successful planetary trade.

María Meléndez is a Mexico City nutrient blogger and influencer.