Tamarind

Tamarind is a tropical fruit that's widely used in Southeast Asian and Caribbean cuisines.

The brown, bean-shaped fruits mature from April through July. The pulp inside them tastes like a fusion of apricots, dates, and lemons. It's even an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.

Tamarind trees have stout trunks and spreading canopies, giving them a stately look similar to a live oak. However their foliage is more airy and feathery. The branches are also wind resistant, making them ideal for hurricane-prone areas.

These slow-growing, long-lived trees can reach 80 to 100 feet tall and 40 feet across, and can live for 200 years.

Even if you don't live where you can grow tamarind, you can usually buy tamarind paste and frozen concentrate at Asian grocery stores.

UF/IFAS Sites

UF/IFAS Publications