more-in If you spent your childhood plucking ripe tamarind pods fresh off the roadside trees then you must know that it’s that time of the year again. The winds end up unrolling a carpet of tamarind that remain undamaged thanks to its hard outer shell. Once the flesh inside has ripened,the outer turns brittle and opens when pressed,with a satisfying pop and crackle. Around the time of the harvest festival is when most tamarind trees are ready for picking and this can continue until the middle of February. It’s funny how we think of tamarind trees as being typically Indian when actually they originated in the African sub-continent. The tamarind harvest happens just once a year and sadly only a very few continue the tradition of preserving freshly picked tamarind. Friends who own and operate grocery stores wish people went back to seasonal procurement of ingredients. The decline in availability of fresh organic tamarind was because people stopped buying in bulk to last the whole year. Since they wanted it on demand throughout the year additives needed to be added to keep the tamarind from spoiling. My mother and mother-in-law both procure fresh tamarind and store it for the year. My school friends even today salivate over the vendaikkai paal kozhambhu made at mom’s which is a heavenly concoction of tamarind pulp and coconut milk. Tamarind pickers offer their services for a few weeks during this time forsaking all other work. They earn a good revenue as they are skilled at making sure that not much fruit is left on the bough once they are done. Once the outer shell is split open the fruit is left out in the sun. This is the first stage of preserving. After that it is gently pounded with a wooden mallet which helps in loosening the seeds and separating the fibres from the soft ochre coloured pulp. All that remains to be done after that is to store the tamarind pulp in big earthenware jaadi in layers with natural rock salt. It has to be filled to the brim so as to minimise the amount of air inside. The lid with the wooden seal at the bottom must then be tightly pressed down in order for the salt to merge with the pulp. This helps in softening and ageing the young tamarind flesh. Back in the day, neighbourhoods collectively invested in the tamarind harvest and shared in the pickings, it was just that simple. The seeds are sold separately not only for craft purposes but in the making of extracts that are believed to be rich in polyphenols and flavonoids. The sticky pulp itself for that matter is supposedly a rich source of dietary fibre and aids greatly in digestion. A lemon sized ball of the dark, well preserved tamarind that we use every day in our typical South Indian meals are loaded with phytochemicals, antioxidants and enough vitamins and minerals to contribute to our daily dietary intake. How’s that for an ingredient we barely notice! A popular baker uses this aged condiment to add depth of flavour to her Christmas cakes. Again here moderation is the key to good health. An overdose of tamarind can have the opposite effect to wellness. Fortunately our rasams and pulli kozhambhus contain just the right balance. Local farm owners and organic stores are the best sources for supplying fresh tamarind

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