I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
How to eat whole tamarind
No, I haven’t lost my mind! That’s not poop in my son’s lunch! It’s little bits of whole tamarind fruit, which our friend from the French-African island of Reunion showed us how to eat. I’ve previously used blocks of tamarind pulp or paste
Contents of preschooler bento lunch: Waffle and maple syrup, sauteed yellow bell pepper in vinaigrette, wrapped cheese, grapes, and tamarind fruit.
Morning prep time: 7 minutes, using frozen waffles and leftover bell pepper. In the morning I toasted a frozen homemade waffle, cut up the waffles and peeled the tamarind pod. (Read on for the illustrated how-to and more lunch details.)
Packing: The moist bell pepper went into a reusable silicone baking cup to keep the wrapped cheese clean for finicky little hands, and the subcontainer in the upper tier kept the grapes and tamarind from rolling around. I put maple syrup into a little carrot-shaped sauce container that I picked up at Ichiban Kan discount store a while back (retail store info at my San Francisco Bay Area shopping guide for bento gear, online store info at my Ichiban Kan online store review). The whole lunch was loosely packed in a Basis:1 two-tier 600ml bento box, which was admittedly too large for a three-year-old according to the bento box size guidelines.
Verdict: Bug ate the waffle, cheese and grapes at preschool, and mangled the carrot-shaped sauce container by sucking and chewing on it, trying to extract every last bit of maple syrup (sigh). He did wind up leaving the bell peppers and tamarind despite having specially requested tamarind that morning. Maybe he got embarrassed once he opened it up in front of everyone; when I picked him up from preschool his teacher asked me what the brown thing was in his bento. I laughed and explained it to him, saying Bug had been really excited about it that morning. Anyway, he finished up the peppers and tamarind at home as a snack (I encourage him to finish his packed lunch before giving him other snacks). Tamarind is now an at-home treat, not a bento staple. 
* * * * *
Although I didn’t know it at the time, I first encountered tamarind as a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce & HP sauce, giving them their slight pucker. As I grew older, I then used tamarind in Thai and Indian recipes, as a souring agent in curries and chutneys. After moving to San Francisco and exploring the Latin American markets in the Mission district, I became more familiar with tamarind as a flavoring for drinks and candies. This is the latest in my evolving relationship with tamarind — whole, as a snack.
Whole tamarind pods are covered with a hard shell that’s easily cracked in your hands. Note that one end is pointed and the other is round — you’ll be coming back to the pointed end soon.
Crack open the shell with your hands, revealing the sticky fruit with little strings running through it.
Here’s the naked tamarind pod with the strings still intact.
Grasp the pointed end with your fingers and peel the strings down and away from the fleshy pod. All of the strings should come away still bunched together at the top, without much resistance.
Behold the tamarind fruit and its little plant exoskeleton! The strings all came away neatly, with none remaining on the fruit.
Inside of the tamarind fruit are several rock-hard seeds, covered by a softer edible coating. You can pop whole segments of the tamarind fruit into your mouth, chew around the seed, and spit the seed out. It was a novel and somewhat addictive experience.
FURTHER READING:
- How to freeze homemade waffles
- How to freeze homemade pancakes
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
April 22nd, 2008 | Categories: bento, for kids, phyllo or pancake or other, tutorial or how to | 
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April 22nd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I’ve got some of those cute carrot containers and I love them. But how do you get maple syrup in them? Or anything for that matter?
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Mmm…tamarind sounds tasty! The ones in the red box, at the Asian markets…are they just ready to go? I don’t need to cook them? I think I’ll go pick some up as a treat this afternoon!
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Ooh I love tamarind! I grew up in South America, and there it’s mostly used for juice, not eating and sold as a paste, in cilinders. Now, for cooking … it hadnt ocurred to me. Will have to try that.
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Oh, I’m craving some!
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Oh my goodness, your website is adorable!
…or should I say, “Kawaii!” (Dunno how to spell it lol)
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:09 pm
When my stepfather would come back from visits to his mom in Mexico, he would bring whole blocks of smooshed tamarind pulp…seeds and all. I’d love breaking off a small, sticky glob and chewing my way around all of the seeds until it was all gone. Maybe now I’ll give whole tamarind a try since they’re a lot easier to find and you’ve shown me how to open them.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Huh, interesting, I didn’t even know what tamarind really was (sure I’ve had it in cooking stuff- never bought it, never ate it whole). The look is quite a bit off-putting though
have to open my mind to trying it! Thanks for the lesson! Hehe. Sorry to hear about the carrot container though! The top on mine broke after I screwed it too tightly.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Holys mokes it does look like poop but tamarind’s tastes soo yummy
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
@1 from Colin: To fill containers like these, squeeze the container, submerge the mouth into a small dish of sauce and release. Repeat until enough sauce has been sucked into the container — no need for a funnel. You might be interested in my post on pre-filling sauce containers here: http://lunchinabox.net/2007/06/04/speed-tip-pre-fill-sauce-containers/
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
@2 from Aunt LoLo: I usually see these in pretty big boxes at Asian markets. No cooking required! My friend Vincent was disappointed that they only had the sweet variety, not the sour ones too.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 pm
@3 from Amber: I think we approached tamarind in opposite order as I started cooking with it before experiencing it in drinks and candy. You can use it in Thai foods in place of vinegar or lime juice as the sour element. It’s an interesting variation.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
@4 from vampyra1: Hey, what a great idea for a simple homemade candy! I like it!
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
@5 from ChocolateCoveredVegan: Thanks for the kind comment! Very sweet of you (and kawaii is the right spelling, BTW).
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
@6 from Sandy: Where are you that whole tamarind is easier to find than the blocks? I’ve usually seen the blocks or concentrate, and just recently noticed the whole pods all around.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
@7 from Yvo: Yes, it really does look awful, doesn’t it? But that’s exactly what thrilled Bug when we all ate it together — the gross-out aspect.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 pm
@8 from Linda: Agreed on both tamarind’s taste and unfortunate appearance!
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:01 am
Unchi fruit! LOL Your son is a trip!
I’ve never tried this, but now that I know what those brown pod things are, I may buy some next time I head to the Asian market!
So they’re sour? I love sour stuff.
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:15 am
Oh I love tamarind. Here (Caribbean) we make tamarind balls. You can take the seeds out if you want, but I leave them in. The seeds make tamarind fun to eat, I think. You just roll them up into balls and coat it with sugar. It’s a tasty treat I get every year for carnival. I eat tamarinds right off the trees here as I walk past them… mmm!
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 am
I love how I always learn something new here.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:46 am
I’ve used tamarind paste in recipes, but never the whole fruit. I found some at Whole Foods last week and I almost bought them, but then shied away. I’ll have to go ahead and buy some so we can try them out.
As for them looking like poop…well your son does have a point. Was his lunch the hit of all the kids at lunch?
Sheltie Girl @ Gluten A Go Go
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 am
Every inclination I had of trying them out, I hadn’t even registered them as a fruit, only as something that I use in cooking all the time, is now gone due to the warped child of yours ;). Yet I’ve had worse in terms of food.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:34 am
I’m Hispanic and I grew up eating those and of course tamarind type candy so I brought some to work and few of my co-workers loved them but others cringed at the sight of them because they DO look like poo! But they’re good!
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 am
Oh, I LOVE HP sauce! I haven’t thought of it in years. I first experienced it years ago as a condiment on my room service tray during my first business trip to the UK. When I got back to the States, I looked for it in my local grocery stores with no luck. Now that you’ve reminded me of it, I’ll have to make a better effort at it. Thanks!
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 am
@17 from Sile: There are two kinds: sweet and sour. The one shown above is sweet (it said so on the package) and was fine to eat out of hand as is. My friend was really disappointed that the store didn’t carry the sour ones…
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
@18 from Mimi: Those tamarind balls sound like the Filipino tamarind/sugar candies that vampyra1 described in comments above. Sounds delicious! I’ll have to try that.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 am
@19 from Fourleafclover: Thanks! Whole tamarind pods were a new one on me as well.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:21 am
@20 from Sheltie Girl: You know, Bug didn’t wind up eating the tamarind at school. Maybe he had second thoughts in front of everyone? It really tickled him at home that it looked like poop, though. Boys!
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:22 am
@21 from Jessika: Yes, I hadn’t realized how fecal-looking tamarind is as I’d only really experienced its other forms, not whole from the pod. Sorry about ruining the tamarind experience for you!
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:23 am
@22 from Adan: I agree, they are good! What’s your favorite way to eat tamarind?
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:26 am
@23 from Valerie: I especially like HP sauce on bacon butties — sandwiches with English bacon rashers. What do you like HP sauce with?
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:49 am
@28, Biggie, oh I’ll survive. Might even try it just to make a point ;).
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 am
@ 25 from Biggie: Hey, I guess all over the world people love anything sweet and sour! cutting them up into smaller pieces sounds better for me though. sometimes I just need a little fix! thanks for the idea vampyra1!
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Sometimes we’ll even roll them in ground up hot peppers so you get a hot/sour/sweet candy. I’m not a fan of spicy though, but its a good idea if you do!
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I’ve actually enjoyed drinking tamarind juice, especially when it’s hot outside and when I visit relatives in Mexico, there’s this shaved ice parlor that serves shaved ice with bits of tamarind and dried chili powder with lemon. So very yummy!
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:09 pm
@33 from vampyra1: I’ve had something similar in Mexican pinata candy — I like the hot/sour/sweet tamarind combo, but I can understand how it would be an acquired taste.
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
@34 from Adan: Hey, tamarind chili shaved ice is something I haven’t tried before! I’ve had those paleta popsicles in that flavor, but never a shaved ice version. Interesting idea with lemon!
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Mexican pinata candy… need to check that out. Sounds delicious!
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
What a terrible mother putting poop in a lunch box!! haha. Hopefully the kids at school don’t put him off and he keeps trying new things. I am very curious about these fruits myself now, though it looks like a gooey fudge chocolate fruit. lol. So you eat the sweet ones and cook with the sour ones as a matter of course?
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Woww! I love tamarind sauce, soda, and candy. I’ve seen the pods and been intrigued, but I did not know a person can eat the fruit raw like that! Thanks so much for sharing the preparation process.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
You know, I just love all the emails you put out, and I had a rough day today, and after reading this, I was cracking up. Thank you! Poop fruit……lol
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
This would be excellent for those desserts that are supposed to look like a used kitty litter box. If you like that gross-out factor. I think Grape-Nuts cereal is most common as the “litter.” These things on a pan of Grape-Nuts would be kind of scary. But I guess fun for kids at the right age.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Haha, it’s a very asian ingredient in a way. Living on the Thai border, they do sell pre-shelled version which are rolled in slightly roasted chilli flakes and a little sugar. It’s quite a fantastic combo, sour, sweet and spicy.
However, when buying them raw, be careful about storing them. They are prone to growing huge worms. Really gross.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:15 am
I love your blog btw. Thought I’d share with you a favourite tamarind recipe of mine, though it may be somewhat an acquired taste, you seem to be very adventurous in your cooking.
It’s called Telur Belanda, literally translated to mean Dutch Eggs (I have no clue why). Requires: Salted fish (Asian grocer - many ppl don’t like the smell though), tamarind paste / squeeze raw tamarind pulp in hot water to get same effect), garlic, chilli, onions, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, eggs.
Slice up a few cloves of garlic, one or two big onions, chilli (as preferred). Break some salted fish into small pieces, approximately a piled tablespoon. Heat up oil in a frying pan, fry eggs (I usually do 4-6) sunny-side up. Set on plate. Heat up oil, add in salted fish, fry till slightly crispy, set aside. With the same oil, fry the onion, garlic, and chilli until golden and fragrant, add in water, tamarind paste, sugar, and shake in some soy sauce (keep in mind the salted fish when added back in later will make it saltier as well). Simmer until it reduces to a thicker sauce (keep adding in water and sauces to taste, you want enough sauce to cover the eggs). Add the salted fish pieces back in, cook for another 2 minutes or so. Pour over eggs.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:16 am
BTW, you want to eat that with rice.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:20 am
@43 Lin Lynn. I’ll try your recipe. As I said in a previous comment, i am used to tamarind as an ingredient in almost anything asian in terms of sauces etc., and I use tamarind paste alot but had never registered that it could be eaten whole, as a fruit. I’ve thought about it and have decided to try it cut up in smaller pieces to disguise where your fantasy can take you in terms of how tamarind looks
April 24th, 2008 at 11:52 am
@38 from Metanoia: You can eat the sour ones as is too, either fresh off the tree or dried. Evidently on Reunion people also roll the fresh ones in either salt and chili, or sugar/chili. You can cook with either.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:53 am
@39 from Rachelle: My pleasure, Rachelle! It was a trip eating them whole.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:55 am
@40 from Jamie: Hey, glad to oblige! Sorry to hear about your day, hope things got better today…
April 24th, 2008 at 11:56 am
@41 from Sunflower: Grape Nuts and tamarind? Sounds disgusting! Maybe for Halloween…
April 24th, 2008 at 11:59 am
@42/43/44 from Lin-lynn: Thanks for the tip about raw tamarind — worms don’t sound delicious… Can you tell me more about the salted fish in your recipe? Are they the dried, smoked fish I’ve seen sold on sticks in Thai markets? (Speaking of worms, though, the last dried smoked fish I got from my local Thai market had little worms in them — not lovely).
April 24th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I knew Tamarind looked like that but it never really registered what it looked like. uh…that didn’t make much sense.
I love Tamarind soda and juice so maybe I should give this a try.
April 24th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
@51 from Kaits: Ha ha! No, I get it! I’d seen it in blocks and whole in the pod itself, but not shelled before. Gross but yummy!
April 25th, 2008 at 10:28 am
I have been looking for tamarind for a long time. I guess I just didn’t know what I was looking for though. I am mostly trying to find paste for my pad thai, but when I get to the market, everything is so overwhelming and I can’t seem to find it.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:30 am
@53 from Amber in Portland: I wonder if the store’s staff could help you find the tamarind? There are so many forms it could be in that I’d be surprised if they don’t have ANY.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:05 am
[…] April 28, 2008 Filed under: food — jadelaide @ 1:37 pm Tags: food, fruit, tamarind i learned to eat it. and then i found a whole box of it at the P. P. Grocery. i am now addicted. […]
April 29th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
i walked into a mom and pop store this weekend to get some shave ice and guess what they had on the counter?
TAMARINDO CANDY! just like the ones in the philippines! you know i snatched those suckers up!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
@56 from vampyra1: Ooh score! Tamarindo candy! What brand?
April 30th, 2008 at 10:24 am
No brand, homemade! The ultimate of all ultimates! They added a little chili pepper powder to it, i think. It was a little spicy, but doable!