A Brief History Of Tamarind
The basic or primary question one may have is what is tamarind? Now, tamarind is a tropical fruit that is originally native to African and courtier countries.
Tamarind usually grows in tiny little pods full of chocolate brown pulp. When the tamarind starts to ripe the nut-shaped pods also begin to become a thick paste-like consistency.
It primarily has a tingly sour taste which has several uses in Indian, South Indian, and tropical cuisines. Some people don’t consider tamarind fruit as useful. But in fact, it is, and that too in several ways.
Health Benefits Of Tamarind
Tamarind has multiple health benefits and it is full of nutrients that could do wonders to the human body is eaten properly.
One of the tamarind health benefits is phytonutrients. Now to know what phytonutrients are we have to dig into it a little bit.
It is a powerhouse of antioxidants that helps to promote a good immune system and makes a barrier against common diseases. On the other hand, there are some other tamarind benefits as well that make it extra special, and they are polyphenols and flavonoids.
Both of these help decrease LDL cholesterol which is also known as bad cholesterol. And not to mention it can help immensely in taking control over high blood pressure.
Let’s discuss how can you consume tamarind fruit in such a way that it adds more health benefits to your body. Even though it is slightly tingly and a bit sour if you can manage to directly eat the pulp, it is supposed to help you improve your heart health and diabetes.
On a different note, if you are suffering from diarrhea, constipation or any other kind of indigestion issues you can make tamarind paste add a little bit of water to it then drink it away. The tingly sour juice of tamarind will put an end to your indigestion issues.
As stated earlier tamarind paste is richly infused with thiamin, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Thus it can cure inflammation and any muscle sprains.
Whereas, tamarind leaves can give relief to itchy and cold throat. Boil the leaves with water until thick then drink it off to say Adios to itchy throat.
Especially with the summers already here tamarind fruit can be a great relief from the heat too. Make a juice out of tamarind paste and add a little amount of cumin powder, then you can add as many ice cubes as you want to make a great drink that will instantly release all the heat from your body and serve some cooling effects.
Weight loss is a global issue currently. Every other person you meet on the streets is facing this problem. No matter why they are facing it and finding it hard to lose that extra bulging fat from their body, it seems the versatile tamarind nutrition can help with that too.
The human body has an enzyme that works as a preservative and holds on to fat, but the HCA or better known as hydroxycitric acid present in tamarind paste stops the enzyme from doing so.
Besides one of the several others, tamarind benefits are that eating it can suppress the willingness to eat, which means it will decrease your appetite by leveling up the serotonin neurotransmitter in your body, which is also very helpful in losing rapid weight.
Tamarind seed extracts can omit the chances of ulcers in the body and provide a healthy and strong digestive system that lets the body absorb nutrients on a different good level.
Cancer cells double up rapidly in the human body but the high antioxidants in tamarind work fine to eliminate them from the human body giving relief from cancer.
Another extremely important tamarind benefits are that the antihistamine properties in tamarind create a barrier against allergenic cold and flu, and can protect to some extend against allergenic asthma attacks.
Beauty Benefits Of Tamarind
Tamarind has some exciting beauty benefits as well. The tamarind paste is applied to the skin can be a great remedy for anti-aging and sunburn. Apply routinely a thick layer of tingly tamarind on your face, neck, and hands to unveil the true beauty of your skin.
In the ‘what is tamarind’ section we discussed how the outer layer turns into a thick paste? That might have left you thinking that the outer layer might not have any false benefits. You can grind it and make a powder of the cracking shell then add water to it and use it as an exfoliator for your face and body. Use it once or twice a week for glowing soft skin.
Also, the alpha hydroxyl-acid present in tamarind can cure pigmentation, acne spots, and any deep cuts or scars in the face and body.
Finding & Identifying Tamarind
Even though it is a tropical fruit, it can be found eventually in every corner of the world because of its high demand. You can either find it in any local grocery shop or even in vegetable shops.
Even the frozen ones in the big malls will also do your job. Nut remember to keep them in water overnight then washing them harshly as it can take away all its helpful nutrients.
Finding the unripe green ones is a bit daunting. Some people reported that they can’t even identify the unripe versions of tamarind in the market, so let me give you a briefing on unripe tamarind.
The unripe tamarind looks something like a nut, only a bigger version of it. And if you cut them into slices you will see that the inner portion is prominently green and has a tingly sour smell.
The pods remain extraordinarily hard in unripe tamarinds. Now that you know how to identify them, let’s talk about the mouth-watering dishes you can make with them.
Popular Tamarind Dishes
The ever so popular tamarind chutney is well known for many reasons. Some say tamarind chutney is not good to have but it is not true. Tamarind chutney is a must-have with several south Indian or South Asian foods.
Some of them count as dosa, sambar, rasam, Dahi vada, and several other roadside chaats. It has a tinkly sour yet sweet taste that completes the recipe. But too much of this can be harmful to you if you have sensitive teeth so beware of that only.
There is a myth around tamarind that menstruating women should have tamarind which is not true. The tamarind nutrition can control mood swings in women in the time of periods.
You can use tamarind in almost every food. chefs around the globe say that it helps balance the taste. If you are interested in knowing other tamarind recipes, you can find thousands of them online.
You can use tamarind in fish dishes, meat, salads, and whatnot. Even tamarind rice is quite a popular and loved dish in the south. You can search for the recipe online and try it at home too.
Conclusion
Don’t think anyone knew about so many benefits of Tamarind. Well, now that you do know, use these tropical fruits in your daily lifestyle to bring out the best.
