Tamarind

Tamarind: makkam (มะขาม). A fruit tree that grows across the tropics, Tamarind is a wonderful tree that the Thais make great use of. The tree has a vivid red flower that lights up the countryside in season. The green, unripe fruit is used and has a sourness unsurpassed in western cooking, the Thais believe that it has strong medicinal properties in the digestive tract. Once the fruit pod turns brown the ripe fruit dries and the seeds and stringy pith are removed leaving a dark brown flesh that is both sour and sweet. It is this flesh that forms the sour component of the famous Thai Sweet and Sour soup, Tom Yam.