Thursday, August 26, 2010

Day 11

Sour Tamarind: Another find from the Dekalb Farmer's Market. I've seen tamarind listed as an ingredient in a lot of Asian cuisine, but I've never really known what it was or what it tasted like. I noticed this "sour" version at the market, and grabbed a couple pieces to try. I had no idea how to eat it, so I actually had to do a little internet research to find out.

I noticed that a few online sources called it the "poop fruit," and after breaking one open, I can totally see why. It was hard to not think of Mr. Hankey from South Park while looking at it, so I hoped it tasted better than it looked. The instructions said to crack open the hard shell, break pieces off by segment, and chew the sticky pulp around the seed. I tried this method, and was overwhelmed by the almost lemony tartness. It almost had the consistency of fig, but much more sour and less sweet. I couldn't stomach too much of it, and I'm wondering if the sweet version might more palatable. Maybe I'll seek that out next time. Nonetheless, an interesting find.

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2 comments:

  1. Haha! It does look like Mr. Hankey... Hidee Ho, Chris!

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  2. Use the sour ones, but segment and roll them in sugar before eating, quite tasty, messy, but tasty. It's like akee & saltfish (another find for you down the road ;)), can be a bit of a developed taste when living in the islands.

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