Tamarind Candy, Sweet & Sour Tamarind
I’m going to assume that some, maybe a lot of you, are unfamilar with the taste of tamarind. The tamarind pods of a large, tropical tree are used as a flavoring in such things as drinks, soups, and candy, lending them a sweet/sour/tart taste.
This candy is a good introduction to tamarind.
It’s a hard one…
with a sweet, smooth tamarind taste…
that you just want to keep, well, tasting. And it doesn’t leave an unpleasant aftertaste like many other candies.
Tamarind pods can also be candied.
I’ll admit that when I first saw this item, my first thought was, “Sugar crystals! Mmm, good!”
An especially long pod.
Oh yeah, back to the sugar crystals.
Wait, look at the orange tamarind fibers.
Now back to the sugar crystals. They, of course, added an overall sweetness to the otherwise bland and boring candy (I couldn’t taste any sourness). I thought the chewing-around-the-seeds effort of the gummy-like candy wasn’t worth it. And the candy left an unpleasant aftertaste.
But I thought it at least looked good.
Oo the 1st one looks awesome. I love tamarind flavoring.
I like tamarind jarritos! Wait, that’s not asian.
I LOVE tamarind! I remember bringing those gems to elementary school and the other kids would always ask me for some and by the end of recess I would have zero left. I swear I could’ve had my own little store.
Did you happen to buy the tamarind pods on its own? I am such a sucker for sweet and sour things.
Hi! I subscribe to your blog via google reader, but the pictures never show up - only indicators about what picture is supposed to be there!
Thanks for the great blog!
I had tamarind in the Philippines- we had sticks of it, some were salted some had sugar, but they were too bitter for me. The only way I really like the tamarind is when it’s combined with mango in the Mangorind candy from the Philippines. It has a sweet tart taste.
I can’t wait to try that hard candy- I love tamarind.
Juju: The first one is a great candy, especially if you love (sweet) tamarind.
Gini: Oooh, I’ve never had jarritos but I’d like to try them! The only Mexican drinks I’ve had are Jumex juice nectars, and I can’t really remember how well I liked them.
My: So you dealt tamarind candy as a youngin’, eh? Funny! (I used to bring this tamarind candy, those little jello ’shots’, Bin Bin Rice Cracker, and White Rabbit Creamy Candy to school to share with friends.)
I think my absolute favorite way to have tamarind is in the Vietnamese soup with seafood (catfish, shrimp, or scallops), fresh pineapple, fresh tomatoes, bean sprouts, and bac ha. Yum!
Jessica: Thanks for letting me know about the Google Reader problem. I think I’ve fixed it, but please let me know if the same thing occurs with my next post. Also, thanks for visiting!
Sarah Lynn: The Mangorind candy sounds good! I like the flavor of tamarind enough that I’ll keep trying new items with it.
Dandy: I think the candy also comes in much smaller bags, or at least it used to. I think you should be able to find it easily enough, especially if you visit a big Asian market. The candy has been around for years.